Armilla II
by Coral Grace
Summary: Sequel to Armilla. Armilla's story continues: the wizarding world is now at war and it seems old grudges must be put aside for the good of the Light. As Severus struggles to do this, Armilla also faces her own personal hardships. HBP year, but now AU
1. Like Hands and Feet

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

A/N To new readers" Welcome! To old readers: Welcome back! I feel like I am about to get onto a rollercoaster by beginning the sequel to Armilla. It has been a long time in the works and I have the whole plot already planned. Please join me again to continue Armilla's journey – I hope you will love the sequel.

**Warning:** If you haven't read the first story, _Armilla_, I'd advise you to read that first. The storyline from my first story will run on into this one. You will pick up on things anyway, but you will find more emotional meaning by being well acquainted with _Armilla_.

**Prologue**

An overgrown, dark and deserted park, well known for its depressingly gloomy atmosphere, seemed to personify a menacing character that had no wish to advertise any real beauty. Though for those who ventured to explore the grounds, and took the time to see what was there, it displayed a beauty so splendid, yet so rare that visits here became somewhat of an addiction.

It was the kind of place the average small child would be too intimidated to visit. Not that the child would have a choice – the average guardian would not permit the child to run freely without supervision in such a place. Not that it would matter. Little children who fit the stereotype for the happy-go-lucky child would be more content to pass their days in a lush green park, full of flowers, lots of sunshine and other chattering children.

No, this park was not one people would go to freely. Except perhaps, for two old souls, who knew and appreciated what real beauty it had to offer; two old souls who sought only comfortable companionship as they strolled through these gloomy surroundings.

The smaller, darkhaired figure walked about three steps in front of the other. Her step had a spring in it that did not match that of the older woman following close behind. The elderly lady watched as her little one turned around and offered a rare smile. She could never fathom why her little one delighted in wandering these dreary grounds.

"Don't you like the quiet, Merle?" she said, when questioned about her strange desire for coming to such a place.

"I think you would like that nice little park around the corner."

"You'd make me talk to the other kids if we went there," the little girl answered quietly.

"And what is wrong with that, might I ask?" Merle asked, a twinkle in her eye.

"I don't like talking to other children," the little girl murmured, looking a little nervous as she looked back at Merle. "Other children are too noisy."

Merle gave a little chuckle, disguising her worry that this child, for whom she was responsible, was not developing social skills as readily as she should.

"You're quite blunt sometimes, Armilla," she said, catching up to the child.

Armilla's dark eyes gazed up at her guardian. "What does blunt mean?"

Merle smiled as she took her little one's hand. "Blunt means you are very honest, dear. You say exactly what you think, whether you should say it or not."

Armilla pondered this for a moment, biting her lip as she thought. Merle had noted long ago that this habit generally appeared when the child was feeling nervous.

"Is being blunt a good thing, Merle?" Armilla asked, wearing an expression of the utmost seriousness. Merle was used to seeing this expression on the five-year-old's face.

"It depends, I suppose," she said finally, as they made their way onto a small wooden bridge that was built over a narrow stream. "Perhaps you wouldn't be so blunt if you learned to play with other children. They won't seem so noisy when you're playing with them."

Armilla didn't answer. She stopped in the middle of the bridge and peered over the side at the stream below.

"I like coming here," she said quietly. "It's only you and me when we're here. That's the way I want it to be forever. Just you and me."

Merle peered over at the stream as well, watching as the water hurriedly made its way over the pointy rocks. Thinking about the future always made her heart ache. She was old. True, her health wasn't too bad at the moment, but she wasn't the young, energetic parent Armilla deserved to have. Not that her lack of energy seemed to bother Armilla; the child was always perfectly content to sit and talk or practise her reading. Merle hoped that when death finally separated them, Armilla would be old and strong enough to fend for herself.

"When you go to school, you'll have to talk to other children," Merle told her, watching as Armilla threw a stray leaf into the stream below.

Armilla frowned. "You do magic at home, Merle. Can't I learn magic at home?"

"No. There's no better place to learn magic than Hogwarts."

Armilla didn't look convinced. "Can you live there with me?" she asked, biting her lip again.

Merle shook her head. "No, dear."

"Then I don't want to go."

"You have no choice." Merle smiled at the anxious little girl. "Don't you want to grow up and know as many spells as me?"

Armilla nodded.

The two were silent for awhile, content to listen to the flowing water.

"Merle," began Armilla, looking thoughtful. "If you want me to talk to other children, why don't you have more children at home to talk to?"

Merle laughed as she took the child's hand to lead her off the bridge. "Because you came as a single package, dear," she replied.

"Oh."

"Perhaps it would have been nice for you to have a sister," said Merle. "Matilda's like a sister to me."

Armilla considered this for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I wouldn't want a sister," she said.

"Why not?"

"Because there's already you and me at home. We don't need any more girls."

"A brother then?"

Armilla shook her head without hesitation. "No. I don't like boys."

Merle laughed. "I'm sure you'll feel differently once day."

"I don't think so."

They walked towards the edge of the park that led towards their house.

"Maybe I'd like a brother after all," said Armilla suddenly, looking up at her guardian.

Merle looked surprised. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I don't know," the child answered. "I don't think we'd be friends, but I suppose it wouldn't be too bad."

"There's an old Vietnamese proverb that states that brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet," said Merle, thinking of her own brother.

Armilla looked at her own small hands for a few seconds before looking down at her feet. "My hands aren't too far away from my feet," she stated.

Merle laughed. "Well hands and feet have very different roles to play. Brothers and sisters have the same mother and father, but they aren't always close. Hands and feet are attached to one body, but they have very different lives."

Armilla looked confused for a moment. Merle often talked in a funny way that she didn't quite understand. "Well," she said slowly, thinking about Merle's words, "I think if I had a brother, we would _have_ to be friends."

"Why is that?"

"Because my hands and feet are friends."

Merle chucked. "You do say some funny things, Armilla. Why are your hands and feet friends?"

Armilla looked very seriously at the old woman at her side. "Because I use my hands to put on my shoes," she answered. "That way, my hands are helping to keep my feet warm…and my feet do all the walking."

"And how does that help your hands?"

Armilla gave a small smile. "If my feet do the walking, then I don't have to walk on my hands."

Merle smiled. "So brothers and sisters are like hands and feet then?"

Armilla nodded. "They're different, but they look after each other." She looked thoughtful. "I think I would like a brother."

o o o o o o o o o

**Chapter 1**

My dream was cut short as I felt someone shaking my shoulder. "Armilla…wake up…"

"Mmph." I tried to shut out the voice talking to me in an effort to hold onto the dream I'd be having. I wanted to remember it.

"Armilla."

"Mm." The most annoying thing about having dreams was that, aside from them often disappearing from your memory as soon as you woke up, sometimes you couldn't remember if they were actually real memories being replayed.

I clearly remembered the park that Merle and I had taken many afternoon strolls in and I knew that bridge very well, but I wasn't sure if that conversation about brothers had ever taken place. Perhaps it was my mind mixing my present situation with the past. Obviously, I hadn't known about Severus back then.

The shaking suddenly became more purposeful. "As riveting as this conversation is," said my brother's stern voice, "I haven't the time for it. I must insist that you wake up."

I opened my eyes to see Severus sitting on my bed, looking quite disgruntled. At least, I thought he looked disgruntled. It was still quite dark in the room.

"The sun's not even up," I grumbled, sitting up.

"How perceptive of you," he said snidely, raising an eyebrow. "I know it's early, but I have some Order business to attend to and I don't expect to return until this evening. I thought I'd tell you in person rather than leave you a message on your chocolate frog card."

"Oh," I said, rubbing my head, trying to keep the memory of that proverb in my head. The dream must have been a real memory. How else would my mind have picked up a proverb like that? I must have forgotten that particular conversation with Merle. I was suddenly torn between being perplexed about the strange dream or worrying about not seeing my brother for the whole day. "This evening?" I repeated, feeling crestfallen.

He nodded. "I was called out last night by the Dark Lord. I have business for Dumbledore to do today."

I sighed, the worry creeping back once more. This was only the third time since the holidays had started that Severus would be out for the whole day. He was frequently out for Order related business, but only for a few hours at a time.

"You still have homework to complete, I trust?" asked Severus. It was business as usual with him. He didn't like delving into his double agent life with me and I knew not to ask. He was generally in a darker, irritated mood after Death Eater gatherings especially and so I knew not to touch the subject. Not that I blamed him being foul tempered sometimes. I wouldn't like to have to answer to a psychotic dimwit like the Dark Lord.

"Yes," I answered. "The Disillusionment Charm essay you set." Severus had been giving me homework every few days since we had come home. I would have found it annoying, but it did pass the time when he was away.

"Very well," he said, nodding. "I will contact you as often as I can during the day, so keep your chocolate frog card on you."

I nodded. I didn't like being home alone, even though our house elf, Docky, was there too, as well as my owl, Morag.

"You're very safe here," Severus assured me. "No one with Merrigan blood can be harmed on this property. Mother saw to that when she was alive."

I nodded. "I know," I said quietly.

My brother reached for my hand and squeezed it. "I will see you this evening at dinner." He smirked. "The meals suddenly get a lot better around here on the days when you help Docky in the kitchen."

I smiled. "I go down there for the company when you're not here. Docky readily provides it."

Severus shook his head. "I'm sure he does; damn hyperactive elf. I'll see you later." He moved to the door. "Don't go back to sleep," he called over his shoulder.

"Alright," I said, lying down again. Minutes later I had drifted off once more and the same dream replayed in my mind.

o o o o o o o o o

All day I had been trying to do what Severus had repeatedly asked me to do over the last few months: not think about the danger of his job. It was easier said than done, which he acknowledged, and I didn't think I was getting any better at it. The separation anxiety I had felt only weeks ago, just after I had escaped from Father, had not gone completely; during Severus' longer absences I found myself spending a lot of time looking at the clock.

"Are you sure you don't want to make treacle tart, Miss Armilla?"

"Yes, I'm very sure, Docky," I answered, watching the house elf's ears droop slightly. "Severus will give you more housework and me more homework if he thinks we waste our afternoons making desserts."

Docky smiled. "Master Severus won't say no to dessert on Saturday if Miss Armilla receives perfect OWL results."

I shrugged. "Maybe, but I don't think I'll get perfect results. In fact, I'm not expecting all Outstandings, especially not for History of Magic or Astronomy."

"Well, Docky does not include those," said the house elf, looking serious. "History of Magic and Astronomy homework always gave Miss Hazel headaches in the summer."

Docky was fond of talking about my mother. He had been doing a lot of it since my brother and I had returned home a few weeks ago. Usually, I would be happy to listen to Docky's ramblings, but my mind had been preoccupied most of the day with the dream I had dreamt twice.

Perhaps it was a sign that I was worried about Severus' position. True, he hadn't really been in the dream, but my mind had gone back to a time when I had felt incredibly safe. It wasn't that I was desperately longing for my old guardian, Merle; I missed her, but I had well and truly accepted her death. In a way, the park I used to visit with Merle now reminded me of Severus. Like the park, he had an intimidating disposition, but I had looked deep enough to find the warmth that I could now not do without.

I couldn't work out why I had dreamt the same thing twice. It had stopped at the same place both times. I was now sure that it was a memory, not a figment of my imagination. I knew my mind wasn't in the habit of inventing proverbs. I had really enjoyed listening to Merle's voice again though; I had enjoyed the dream more than I cared to admit.

Docky and I had been in the kitchen since about four o'clock, chatting as we prepared dinner together. Rather, Docky had done most of the chatting for the past two hours and I had tried to concentrate on what he was saying instead of focusing on my worry for Severus or thinking about my dream. When Severus was away, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen cooking with Docky. I enjoyed the hyperactive elf's company more than Severus did, and it was better than wondering the empty halls of the large house by myself.

We had returned to the Merrigan Estate about three weeks earlier and I hadn't left the house in that time, except to walk in the gardens. There had been no visitors to the house either. Severus had been quite busy with Death Eater or Order business and so I had many hours in which to amuse myself. A lot of this time was spent on the homework Severus had insisted on giving me, playing the piano (which Severus had also insisted upon, apparently for my own wellbeing) or exploring the library.

When he did have time to spend with me, Severus and I practised duelling. Ironically, we generally found this relaxing. Since my shield had survived a couple of bouts of my father's Cruciatus Curse before it had failed completely, Severus had a new interest in strengthening the shield. Speaking of Father, as far as we knew, he and my old governess, Madam Rougier, were still in hiding somewhere. The media had not paid a lot of attention to Father's absence from the wizarding world. Kidnappings and mysterious disappearances were daily occurrences at the moment. There wasn't a day that went by where there wasn't something horrific on the front page of _The Daily Prophet_. Everything, as expected, linked back in some way or other, if not directly, to the Dark Lord.

"Has Master Severus decided what to do with Miss Hazel's ring yet?" Docky asked, reaching for the carrots. We had told Docky about how it was Mother's large, silver, dinner plate-sized ring that had led to my discovery of the relationship between Severus and I. That, and the silver bracelet I would never be rid of until my own death.

I shook my head. "As far as I know, he's still experimenting on it."

As we had anticipated, Mother's spirit had vanished from the ring when Severus had finally been granted full custody not long ago. The spell that held her spirit in the ring was only meant to last long enough that she could be satisfied with my situation. With Father still in hiding, things were far from perfect, but Mother had been satisfied enough to be released into the afterlife. Severus had been experimenting with the ring her spirit had inhabited, testing for any magical properties Mother might have overlooked.

"The chicken's done," I said, pushing the dish towards Docky. "You can cook it."

Docky grinned. "Can I add red wine to the sauce?"

"No, you may _not_," came a dangerous voice from the doorway. We both turned to see my brother striding into the kitchen, his black robes billowing out behind him, an ill-tempered look on his face. He looked terribly tired to me, not that he was likely to admit it.

Severus stopped at the kitchen bench where Docky and I were sitting. He looked down his hooked nose at Docky, his usual sneer in place. "The last time you cooked with red wine, Docky, you sang all night long. I swore to put an end to your incessant, mind-numbingly nauseating tunes."

Docky looked far from put out at such an insult. "Yes, Master Severus," he said cheerfully. "Docky does have a questionable singing voice. Docky shall find a new hobby to replace singing."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. "Merlin, help me," he muttered. Opening his eyes again, he sighed and addressed himself to Docky once more. "Docky," he said, "there are a range of herbs in the second greenhouse that I left in a small basket near the door. Kindly retrieve them and leave them in my lab. I have some brewing to do this evening."

Docky got up and bowed, his long nose scraping the floor. "Yes, Master Severus." He purposely walked very gracefully to the door (having learnt not to run after Severus seventh, very exasperated rebuke). At the door however, he turned around again.

"Miss Armilla?"

I looked up from cutting the broccoli. "Yes?"

"Do you think knitting would be a good hobby?"

Before I could answer, Severus, who had sat down in the place Docky had vacated, answered for me. "Yes, Docky," he said smoothly. "It would be a perfect hobby for you. In fact, I'll even provide you with wool. Knit some clothes and then I can use them to threaten your release if I ever catch you singing again."

Docky's mouth dropped open and I looked at Severus in annoyance. Really, he did seem to take out his bad mood on the poor elf.

Severus ignored my look. "Was there anything else, Docky?" he asked curtly.

Docky shook his head before running off, clearly happy to be in any place but the kitchen.

"And what have you been doing today?" Severus asked, taking out his wand to start cooking what Docky and I had prepared.

"I finished that Disillusionment Charm essay this morning," I answered, getting up to retrieve the plates and cutlery. "Then I skinned the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs that you left out last night for me, and then this afternoon I answered letters before helping Docky down here."

Severus nodded, frowning slightly as he picked up the bowl of sliced carrots. Docky had cut them into star shapes. "That house elf needs a good spanking," he muttered. He looked up at me. "Whose letters were you replying to?"

"Lisa's and Hermione's," I answered, not quite meeting his eye. I had not mentioned Hermione's name since we were at Hogwarts. My brother did not approve of our friendship, though we only really socialised during the classes we shared together. I was much closer to my Ravenclaw friends, Lisa Turpin and Terry Boot.

"Ah, Miss Granger," he said, his lip curling. "Has she been writing you unnecessarily long letters?"

"No," I answered shortly. "She never does."

"Well in your next letter," he said smoothly, after sending me a warning look to watch my tone, "kindly ask her to send along any of the homework I set for her. She may need a fairly large owl to carry the weight."

"I suppose Hermione is busy," I said finally. "She mentioned being at the Weasleys' house. I'm sure she's spending all her time with Harry and Ron."

Severus eyes flashed at the mention of Harry. "_Potter_," he said, sneering, "is due to go to The Burrow tomorrow. In my opinion, he should _not_ be spending his time lazing about with Weasley. If someone would bother taking him in hand we would not have to get him out of the quandaries he gets himself into."

"Have you told Professor Dumbledore that?" I asked.

He narrowed his eyes. "Do you think the Headmaster will hear a word against his golden boy?" he said scornfully.

"No, I suppose not," I admitted.

"Indeed. The Headmaster is too sentimental. He believes it will be beneficial for Potter to spend the rest of the summer with his friends."

We were silent for a few minutes. Severus looked lost in thought; the glare on his face told me that he was probably thinking about the various detentions he could bestow upon Harry in the upcoming school year.

"I do apologise for leaving you home by yourself all day," he said finally, his black eyes meeting mine.

"I wasn't completely alone," I pointed out.

"Docky and Morag hardly count," he scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "It's not good for you to be home by yourself all the time."

"I'm fine," I insisted. I knew Severus worried that I would revert back to my old habit of wanting to stay away from people. I had gone through it in the days after I had escaped from Father. I had been petrified that any of the people roaming Hogwarts could be in disguise as my father, or someone working for him.

"Even so," Severus went on, his face hard, "I think it is about time we organise some sort of social outing so you can get out of the house. You haven't seen anyone except me since we left Hogwarts."

That didn't bother me that much. I did miss my friends, but they knew there was a possibility that I wouldn't see them over the summer. Lisa was currently holidaying in New Zealand, and as far as I knew, Terry was at his grandmother's house.

"That said, I will contact Matilda tonight and see if she is free to see you tomorrow."

I nodded. Matilda had been Merle's best friend. Matilda and I had still kept in contact since Merle's death last October, and Severus had promised Matilda that we would visit. "What if you…suddenly become busy?" I asked.

Severus frowned. "I don't anticipate anything coming up tomorrow, but I am sure Matilda won't mind postponing the visit if we must."

"I think you'll be bored, you know," I said. "Matilda will probably want to talk about nothing but Merle and the past."

"She's an old woman with little happening in her life," he said indifferently. "I am sure it means a lot to her to see you. I'm sure I can put up her nostalgia for a couple of hours."

"Wouldn't it less risky for Matilda to come here?" I asked. "Wouldn't it be safer?" Maybe I was becoming paranoid about being taken by Father again. There were such horrible things happening in the wizarding world at the moment.

Severus shook his head. "You need to get out of the house," he said firmly. "You'll become too antisocial if I let you stay in your own environment, visitors or not."

I stared at him. He was making the same point Merle had been making in my dream.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "What?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

He frowned, narrowing his eyes. "In any case," he went on, "I think you need a change of scene. I'm taking you out on Saturday as well."

I groaned. "Not to the cemetery again?" He had a thing about me visiting Merle's grave at the cemetery. I had never liked going.

He smirked. "No, not the cemetery. "

"Good."

"I will need to collect a report from Tonks on Saturday, so you can accompany me to do that, he said.

My spirits certainly lifted at that. I adored Tonks. She had sent me a _Handle with Care _T-shirt as a joke a week earlier. Upon seeing it, Severus had pursed his lips and disappeared behind his newspaper, muttering about setting it on fire when I wasn't looking. Not that I cared too much; Tonks knew I wouldn't wear it.

o o o o o o o o o o

"The area's certainly very…_muggle_…isn't it?" Severus remarked disdainfully, as we walked down the path to Matilda's front door. "Those letterboxes are such ridiculous things…anyone could walk by and steal other people's mail. Muggles seem so trusting of their neighbours."

Severus hadn't realised that Matilda lived in a muggle neighbourhood. Matilda had worked in Muggle Relations before retirement and her love of combining muggle and wizarding culture had resulted in her buying a home amongst muggles. Most of my muggle knowledge had come from Matilda. She was the reason that I had seen movies and knew more about muggle life than the average pureblood witch. My brother was rightfully insistent that I not make this knowledge known amongst our pureblood acquaintances, in particular, the Malfoys.

Severus had cast a disillusionment charm on us so that the muggles wouldn't notice our presence. He seemed to prefer that to donning muggle attire.

"I don't understand this desire to live amongst muggles," said Severus, shaking his head for about the fourth time since we had apparated into the street.

"Don't hold it against her," I said quietly, as we stepped onto Matilda's front porch.

"It's difficult not to," he muttered, staring at a group of hollow pipes hanging together from the porch ceiling. They made a clanging noise in the light breeze. He gestured to them. "What are those? The muggle form of an alarm? How absurd."

"No," I said, trying not to laugh. "They're wind chimes. Most muggles seem to enjoy the sound."

He rolled his eyes, but offered no comment as he knocked on the front door. A moment later it opened and I was swept into a tight hug by a small elderly woman.

"Armilla!" Matilda said happily, squeezing the breath out of me. "It's been too long since I saw you last, dear."

"Questions first," Severus said quietly.

"Oh yes," said Matilda at once. "Ask away."

Most safety conscious wizarding folk had taken to asking questions of their visitors and vice versa as a security precaution.

I had a question ready. "What did you give me for my birthday?"

Matilda smiled. "My favourite muggle book," she said promptly, "_Winnie the Pooh_."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Severus sneering. He hadn't opened the book, even after Mother had recommended it, and still thought the title was very juvenile.

Matilda cleared her throat. "What did you once bury in the backyard when you were four?"

"Angela," I answered offering no more explanation.

Merle laughed. "Correct."

Severus gave me a strange look, but gave no comment. He turned and held his hand out to shake Matilda's. "Matilda."

"Nice to see you again, Professor Snape," she said. "Thankyou for taking time out of your day to bring Armilla. I know you are a very busy man."

"Not at all."

"Come in, come in!" Matilda beckoned to us. "I've made scones."

"Who was Angela?" Severus muttered to me, as we followed Matilda inside. "An unfortunate hermit crab?"

I shook my head. "A fatally ill doll," I murmured.

He stared at me, a sneer on his face. "Why was she fatally ill?"

"I didn't want her; she was a present from _Shar_."

"Ah." He seemed to understand now. I had never wanted to play with anything that Shar had given me. He had only given me presents to impress Merle.

Matilda led us into her lounge room and we sat down. Matilda took out her wand to summon a tea tray.

"I must say that I was thrilled when you contacted me, Professor," said Matilda, now pouring out three cups of tea. She handed a cup to Severus. "I've been looking forward to seeing Armilla."

"Indeed," said Severus, accepting his tea from Matilda.

"That's Merle's favourite cup," Matilda said to me, as she handed me my cup.

_Was her favourite cup_, I thought.

"Have you been to the cemetery recently?" Matilda asked, passing us scones.

I shook my head. "Not since Easter time," I answered. We had seen Matilda standing at Merle's grave when we gone to the cemetery the day after Easter. I felt a little guilty admitting that I hadn't been back there for a few months.

Matilda just nodded, her face blank. "Oh."

"Armilla has had a lot of study to do, you understand," said Severus, his eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at the little old lady sitting opposite us. "She had her OWL exams to sit for."

Not to mention other things. We hadn't told Matilda about my abduction by Father on the afternoon of my final exam. The repercussions from that event had certainly distracted me long enough not to go to the cemetery.

Matilda's face lit up again. "Oh, your OWLs!" she said, smiling at me. "When are your results due?"

"Tomorrow morning," I said quietly. I had been trying to not think too much about my results. Of course, I was thrilled that I didn't need to be sweating on getting all Outstandings just to avoid my father's wrath; but I hoped that I was getting at least two or three Outstandings just to show Snape that all the extra work we had done together wasn't a waste of time.

Matilda clapped her hands together. "Well," she said happily, "I think we can expect great things from you, Armilla. Merle always said that you would go far. Are you going to become an Auror like Merle?"

I shook my head. "No…"

"Why not?" Matilda asked, looking surprised. "You could follow in her footsteps; she was very highly thought of at the Ministry."

"I know…" I suddenly felt uncomfortable. Conversation with Matilda wasn't normally so awkward.

Severus suddenly cleared his throat, looking agitated. "There are many career paths that Armilla is capable of taking," he said in a low voice, "there is ample time yet for Armilla to make up her mind and it will be her decision."

Matilda laughed, looking a little nervous. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, good-naturedly, "I didn't mean to imply that you had to do what Merle did, Armilla." She looked at Severus. "I don't suppose you've tried to talk Armilla into taking on a Potions apprenticeship, Professor?"

"Not at all, I assure you," he replied. "As I said, it is Armilla's decision."

"But surely you would object if Armilla expressed an interest in pursuing a career similar to mine," Matilda went on, her eyes fixed on my brother's, apparently ready to scrutinise every word.

Severus merely raised an eyebrow. "Armilla has already told me that Muggle Relations is not a field she wishes to pursue."

Matilda looked a little offended. "I suppose you're thrilled about that?"

He looked sharply at her. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Simply that not all wizarding folk approve of learning about muggle culture."

I stared at Matilda. This visit was not going at all in the way I had anticipated. Matilda was usually in high spirits and was always good humoured. A moment later, I found out why her attitude was a little questionable.

"I realise there is a war going on," she said quietly, directing her conversation to Severus. "I understand you have a very demanding and undoubtedly dangerous role to play. When I first heard of Armilla discovering her identity, I must admit that I was a little doubtful in regards to your abilities as a guardian."

To his credit, Severus didn't retort in the usual cold manner he used with people he didn't know well. In fact, he didn't react at all. He was looking at Matilda with an expression of complete indifference. "Do continue," he said dryly. "I suppose there is a point you are going to reach with this."

Matilda flushed a little. "I don't mean to imply that you aren't a caring guardian, Professor," she said. "Armilla understandably went to a horrid time in the months following Merle's death. I would be foolish to deny that her happiness in recent months is to be attributed to _you_."

"I feel a point to all this sentimentality is due," he drawled.

Matilda narrowed her eyes. "I don't doubt your heart, Professor, however cold and aloof you like to keep your façade. I _do_ doubt your _suitability_ as a guardian because of the danger of your role. I believe it places Armilla in danger."

Severus folded his arms, looking more than a little agitated. "I assure you, Armilla is extremely safe with me."

Matilda sighed. "Do you not think she would be safer if she was removed from someone who practically lives in the danger zone?"

I hated it when adults held conversations like I wasn't in the room.

"What would you have me do?" Severus asked dryly.

"Find a family that is unlikely to be attacked," said Matilda promptly. "Hide her if you have to."

He raised an eyebrow. "You do realise that such a family is hard to find. Even then, I have no wish to do so."

"You must put Armilla's needs first," Matilda said, her face beginning to redden. "How could you live with yourself if anything happened to her?"

Severus took an unusually long time to answer. He seemed to be struggling between giving a patient, understanding answer or just telling her to butt out.

"Let me assure you," he said slowly, enunciating every word, "that _my sister's_ needs are being met. That is all I have to say on the subject." His dark eyes were fixed on Matilda's blue ones. "I do not feel a need to express myself any further."

Matilda opened her mouth and then closed it again. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Suddenly she changed tactics and turned to me. "Armilla, Merle wanted you to be happy. But your safety must come first. Merle would have wanted-"

"Please do not insult Merle's memory by using her as a means to emotionally blackmail Armilla," said Severus furiously.

Matilda glared at my brother. "I know what Merle wanted," she said heatedly. "I would never blackmail Armilla." She turned to me. "Would I?"

"I-" Oh god, why had we come to visit?

"I can see you have no intentions of placing Armilla in a safer situation, Professor," Matilda went on, turning back to Severus.

"She already _is_ as safe as she can be," Severus snapped, glowering at Matilda.

"Armilla," said Matilda quietly, turning back to me. "Think about what Merle would have wanted for you. You're in a very dangerous position. Merle would have told you to stay in a safe environment. Do you really want to do something that would make Merle unhappy?"

I stared at her for a moment, weighing up my mixture of thoughts. "Merle was a retired Auror," I said finally. "Living with an ex-Auror wouldn't have been incredibly safe either. After all, Merle_ had_ been a member of the Order of the Phoenix. That hadn't made our family extremely secure. I believe I'm safer than most people."

Matilda glared at me. "I'm disappointed in you," she said. "Merle would be disappointed in you."

Severus stood up abruptly. "Perhaps it is time to take our leave."

Matilda and I didn't move. I stared at her, trying to suppress the mixture of emotions I was feeling from hearing such words. Outrage topped the list. Hurt wasn't too far behind.

"I'm sorry," said Matilda finally, looking away. "I didn't mean that, dear."

I said nothing, but waited until she made eye contact with me again.

"It's just that…we're living in such dangerous times," she whispered. "I've already lost Merle…"

"_Armilla_ lost Merle too," said Severus curtly, "a loss which had quite an impact. Perhaps you should remember that before you think to use Merle to influence Armilla's thoughts."

Matilda didn't meet my brother's eye. It seemed she wasn't sorry for what she had said to _him_, just to me.

"I _am_ sorry, Armilla," said Matilda again.

I nodded. "It's alright." I _was_ annoyed, but I didn't want to upset Matilda more.

We ended up staying for another half hour, though the conversation was a little forced in places. Severus barely spoke at all and I was grateful that he had sat down again. I had thought he was ready to storm out. I couldn't say that I enjoyed the visit; the air was a little too tense to call the experience enjoyable. Matilda did give me a small package upon leaving though, which she explained had been magically shrunk down, and contained presents as well as a few of Merle's old things.

"You do realise, Professor," said Matilda softly, as she opened her front door, "that I have nothing against _you_, it is merely your position I worry about."

Severus nodded curtly. "Duly noted," he said quietly.

"Well, Armilla," said Matilda, turning back to me. "Mind you keep in touch with me. I want to hear about your OWL results."

I nodded. "I'll write to you," I assured her, as Severus made his way down the path to wait for me.

She pulled me into a hug. "I _am_ sorry," she whispered in my ear. "I hope you forgive me."

I nodded as she released me. "I don't know when I'll see you again."

She nodded. "Probably not for a long time if Professor Snape has his way," she said stiffly.

I opened my mouth to reply but she held a hand up to stop me.

"I didn't mean that as a slight, dear," she said hastily. "I do know that Professor Snape is a fine guardian, but you do understand why I worry, don't you?"

I shrugged. "Everyone is in danger, Matilda," I said quietly. "But now is not the time to abandon the ones we love. The war could last a long time."

o o o o o o o o o

I side-along apparated with Severus back to the forest clearing near our house.

"Well," said Severus, as we climbed into the carriage that would drive us to our house. "How often does Matilda entertain? I don't suppose she normally assesses the worth of every guest who steps into her home."

"I'm really sorry," I said, feeling awful. "She shouldn't have said all those things. I don't know why she has suddenly changed her mind."

"Don't apologise," he said stiffly, as the carriage started to move. "It is not your fault. From experience I know that living in dangerous time tends to make people reassess their values and priorities. Obviously, Matilda has reassessed hers."

"Don't hold it against her," I said quietly. "I know it was wrong of her, but…" I wasn't sure how to finish.

He looked over at me. "You don't feel quite right about thinking badly of Merle's best friend?"

Slowly, I nodded.

"It's alright," he said indifferently. "I suppose that is understandable…" He suddenly smirked. "About as understandable as burying a doll in the backyard…"

I laughed. "Angela had a decent funeral."

He smiled. "How very noble of you, especially since it was Shar who gave it to you. I would have blown it to smithereens. Why didn't Merle make you dig it up again?"

"She_ did_," I said, frowning. "She made me stay outside until I had dug it up again."

"How long did you give it before you gave up?" he asked, looking a little amused.

"Most of the day. In the end I only dug it up again because it was getting dark and I didn't want to sleep outside."

"So what did you do with the doll?"

"Merle cast a cleaning charm on it and insisted that it should stay in the house. She left it near the back door, but when she got up in the morning it wasn't there anymore."

Severus sneered at me. "You got up in the middle of the night to bury it again?"

I shook my head. "No, I hadn't touched it. I refused to."

"Then where was it?"

I smiled. "After much searching, Merle thought to dig around where I had first buried it. That's where it was."

He shook his head. "I expect you were in trouble for _that_."

I nodded grimly. "My behind certainly was."

He smirked. "How long did it take for Merle to believe that you didn't do it?"

"Not long," I said, smiling. "After the fourth morning of waking up to find Angela back in the garden, Merle realised that I had been doing accidental magic."

Severus sneered. "Your first piece of magic was subconsciously condemning a doll to a garden burial?"

I nodded. "Merle was so happy that she left the doll there and made me promise not to tell Shar that I had buried his present."

"Perhaps it is a good thing to see Matilda every now and then," my brother said, looking thoughtful. "It seems that when we meet I find out strange new tales about you."

I smiled. "Well then, what was _your_ first piece of magic?"

He suddenly became distracted. "Ah, there's the house up ahead," he said. "Damn, I forgot to order some wool for Docky."

"Severus."

"Yes?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"I know. I very skilfully sidestepped it," he said dryly.

"Well?"

He sighed. "Father used to drink Firewhisky," he said. "I wasn't allowed to try it, and though I was only three I thought it a gross injustice. At dinner one night my water suddenly became Firewhisky and Father's Firewhisky became water."

I laughed. "And you drank it?"

He smirked. "I tried it. Then Father discovered smoke coming from my drink and rightfully concluded that it wasn't water. He was so pleased he forgot to be annoyed that I had drunk alcohol."

"I never see you drink Firewhisky now," I commented. I occasionally saw him drink red wine.

He shook his head. "Father adored it back then. I detest it now because it reminds me of him."

The carriage came to a stop in the courtyard our house was built around. As I opened the carriage door, Docky came jumping down the front steps.

"Actually, my second piece of magic was much more impressive," said Severus in a low voice, as we climbed out of the carriage. "I accidentally cast some sort of silencing charm on Docky. He couldn't speak for weeks. It was like Christmas."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N I hope you enjoyed it. Please review!

The Armilla yahoo group is still open with the pictures of Armilla, Severus and Hazel, as well as the Merrigan family tree. The link can be found on my profile page.

Credits:

A.A. Milne's _Winnie the Pooh_

Vietnamese proverb: _Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet_

The film _Meet Me in St Louis_: I borrowed the idea of burying a doll – Tootie did it first!


	2. Come Fly with Me

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

**Chapter 2**

"Are you planning on eating breakfast this morning?" Severus asked dryly, looking over his _Daily Prophet_ at my untouched bowl of porridge.

I shook my head. "I'm not hungry." The truth was, I was feeling too nervous about the fact that my OWL results were due to arrive at any moment. Ever since I had finished my last exam, I had been comfortable with the thought that I would at least pass every subject. In the last twenty-four hours, however, paranoia had crept up on me and I had been having a battle with my memory, trying to remember ridiculous things that I might have accidentally done.

I simply couldn't remember if I had put down Glenda the Glorified or Gloria the Grand as the leader of witches' rights in the fifteenth century. What if it hadn't been either of them? I voiced my question to my brother. After all, he _had_ begrudgingly helped me revise for History of Magic, among my other subjects, in the months leading up to the OWLs.

He rolled his eyes. "I have not the slightest idea." He nodded towards my porridge. "Eat your breakfast."

I sighed and picked up my spoon. I gazed at the wall in front of me for awhile, finding it much more interesting than my breakfast. At least my churning stomach thought so.

"Do you wish to spend the entire morning at the table, Armilla?" said Severus, narrowing his eyes at me as he folded his newspaper. "I will not allow you to look at your results _or_ leave the table until that bowl is empty."

Lord, he was stubborn at times. I slowly began to eat, ignoring the slight smirk that now played across my brother's face as he pushed the newspaper aside and reached for the teapot.

I knew I would have been in a far worse state about my OWL results if Severus had still been sharing custody with my father. Father had been determined that I would achieve perfect results in everything. I had spent much of the year fearing what would happen if my results turned out to be less than perfect. It did bring me a significant amount of comfort to be able to know that it no longer mattered.

Severus had reassured me more than once that I would not see any displeasure from _him_ if achieved lower than he hoped. All the same, I knew I would feel ashamed if I didn't get at least a couple of Outstandings. After all, we _had_ spent many evenings revising until we were crabby and sick of identifying constellations or justifying seemingly pointless goblin riots. I wondered if it was a strange thing that I didn't want the high marks to please myself, but to please my brother.

"Keep going," Severus said. "You've stopped again."

I had subconsciously started gazing at the wall again. "Sorry," I muttered, returning to my breakfast.

We finished breakfast (rather slowly on my part, to the annoyance of my brother) and there was still no sign of an owl bearing my results.

"It's still early," said Severus, as I followed him out of the breakfast room. "I expect your owl will be here shortly."

I tried to amuse myself in my bedroom for awhile. Severus was busy with an Order related report he wanted to write before we went to see Tonks that afternoon.

My owl, Morag, seemed intent on experimenting with her metamorphmagus abilities. She was currently hopping about in front of the mirror, changing size and colour every thirty seconds or so. I was sure that if Severus had known that she was going to become so conceited, he wouldn't have bought her.

A loud screech in the hallway made both Morag and I jump. A large tawny owl bearing a large envelope soared into the room and landed on the table. It looked up at me as it held out its right leg.

I was surprised that I didn't have an urge to run to the owl and rip open the envelope. As it was, I just stared at it for a few moments before I slowly moved forward to relieve the owl of its burden.

"About time," said Severus, as he came striding into the room.

The owl hooted impatiently as I untied the envelope. Finally freeing it, it flew over to Morag's cage to have a drink. Morag hooted thoughtfully at it, clearly not sure whether to be indignant or not at such an intrusion of her property.

"Stop looking so worried," said Severus softly, watching me closely as I unsealed the envelope. "You know that it will not matter what you receive; Father has no say anymore."

I nodded, still feeling a little queasy. I wasn't really thinking about Father. I pulled out the parchment inside and opened it.

_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_

_Pass grades: _

_Outstanding (O)_

_Exceed Expectations (E)_

_Acceptable (A) _

_Fail Grades: _

_Poor (P)_

_Dreadful (D)_

_Troll (T)_

_ARMILLA LUCIA KEMP SNAPE HAS ACHIEVED:_

_Ancient Runes: __O_

_Arithmancy: __O_

_Astronomy: __E_

_Charms: __O_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts: O_

_Herbology: __O_

_History of Magic: __E_

_Potions: O_

_Transfiguration: O_

The relief I felt inside came close to the same relief I had felt when I had escaped from Father not long ago. I nearly laughed when I saw the E for Astronomy – Father's favourite subject. He would not have been pleased with that mark and now there was nothing he could do about it! As it was, I just stared speechlessly at my results, suddenly feeling exhausted with relief. I was thrilled for my brother's sake especially that I had received top marks in both Defence and Potions.

"Well?" said Severus, looking a little agitated by my silence.

I looked up at him. "I suppose you're right; an E in Astronomy doesn't matter now, does it?"

He smirked. "Certainly not." He held his hand out for the parchment, looking expectantly at me.

I handed it over, watching his impassive expression as he read it. After a moment he looked up again, and I could see the tiniest of smiles on his face.

"Well then," he said simply, folding the parchment and handing it back to me.

"I think that taking History of Magic at NEWT level would be detrimental," I said, mocking seriousness.

He genuinely smiled now. "Detrimental to _both_ of us," he said, as he reached out and pulled me into a hug. "Well done," he said. "All your hard work has most certainly paid off."

I was about to reply when Docky come bouncing into the room. Severus and I broke apart as the elf came skidding to a halt in front of us. In one hand he carried a party hat and in the other he carried a small plastic trumpet. They looked like trinkets that had come from Christmas crackers.

"Is it good news, Miss Armilla?" he asked, his huge eyes shining.

I nodded. "It is."

Docky let out a loud squeak of excitement and placed the party hat on his head. "Congratulations!" he said merrily. He held the trumpet to his lips, but as he moved his long, bony fingers into position to play it, it suddenly became rubbery and flopped over.

I was about to remark that it looked like a gag the Weasley twins would enjoy when I noticed my brother's wand in his hand.

"We could do without the ceremonial music, Docky," he said sneeringly, lowering his wand.

Docky's ears drooped. "But I had a rather euphoric fanfare rehearsed."

"Oh," I said sadly, feeling sorry for him. Severus really could be mean at times…alright most of the time…to other people.

Severus gave me a dour look. "Don't encourage him, Armilla." He turned back to Docky, his face hard once again. "Incidentally, what would you have done if Armilla had been disappointed?"

Docky's ears pricked up again. "This!" he said. He took his multi-coloured party hat off and turned it inside out. It was now black and held (if it was possible for a hat) quite a dismal air. He put it on and then examined his floppy trumpet. "Docky also had a commiserations tune prepared," he said thoughtfully. "I know! I shall hum it to you!"

Severus held up a hand to stop him. "You shall do _no _such thing," he said sternly. "I will _not_ have such foolishness."

"Thankyou anyway," I added. "I appreciate the effort."

"_I_ don't," said Severus incredulously. He sneered down his hooked nose at the elf in front of him. "The spare time I allow you to have would be best spent engaged in something constructive. Perhaps I shall have to draw you a list that distinguishes what is constructive and what will lead to giving me a headache."

Docky smiled. "Docky would appreciate it, Master Severus, sir."

Severus nodded curtly. "Do oblige me, Docky, and continue on with your work in the greenhouse."

"Yes, Master Severus, sir." Docky scampered to the door and turned around. "Can Docky also make Miss Armilla a cake to congratulate her, Master Severus?"

"I suppose so," he answered impatiently. "Be off with you."

Docky flashed me a grin before disappearing around the door.

"I am not sure having a house elf is really worth it," Severus grumbled, shaking his head. He turned to face me. "I need to get back to finishing a report, but we'll celebrate later, alright?"

"Alright," I said nodding, wondering what Severus' idea of _celebrating_ was.

He turned and started walking towards the door, just as another (rather urgent, in my opinion) thought came to me.

"So can I really drop Astronomy and History of Magic this year?" I asked.

He paused and turned around, contemplating me for a moment. "Your marks are high enough to be accepted into both NEWT classes," he said, looking serious. "However, I have no objection if you wish to continue without them."

"I do," I said seriously, feeling elated. I hated both subjects, Astronomy even more just because Father loved it so much.

He nodded, smirking slightly at the joy on my face. He walked to the door. "Excellent. Now you have more time for Potions." He disappeared into the hallway.

I groaned.

"I _heard_ that, Armilla."

o o o o o o o o o o

That afternoon Snape and I were to be found walking down a muggle quiet street in Torquay, protected by the necessary concealment charms. Snape had told me that I could go with him to visit Tonks on order business, and I was thrilled at the thought of seeing her again.

"This is it, I think," said Severus, as we came to a small cottage-like home with an overgrown garden in full bloom. The light breeze made the wind chimes hanging near the door tingle softly.

"What is it with muggles and those ridiculous things?" Severus muttered, opening the garden gate. "We can't stay too long," he said, as we walked down the path leading to the front door. He lowered his voice. "In any case, you may find that you do not _wish_ to stay long."

I gave him a curious look. Why wouldn't I want to stay long? I loved Tonks. He merely shook his head slightly, having no intentions of giving me any more information.

We reached the front porch and I rang the doorbell. Severus sneered at the melody which played out for over ten seconds.

The door opened a few moments later to reveal a very tired looking Tonks. Her hair, which looked like it hadn't been done in a couple of days, was a mousy brown I wasn't used to seeing. There were dark circles under her dark eyes, and her pale, heart shaped face looked drawn, as if she hadn't slept in days.

"Wotcher," she said, a little unenthusiastically, standing back to allow us entry. She did give me a brief smiled as I passed and squeezed my hand.

"Nymphadora," said Severus, nodding curtly at her. "I must say, I was surprised to be told to come to this part of the country. Don't you normally reside in London?"

She nodded. "I've come home to my parents' house for a few days. I hope it wasn't too inconvenient to get here. I suppose you apparated from Derbyshire?"

Severus nodded. "We did."

Tonks nodded. She turned and we followed her down a hallway and into a big room that had a sitting area and an open kitchen.

"Your parents are here somewhere I presume?" Severus asked, folding his arms.

"No, they're out buying groceries," she answered. "They left ten minutes ago so I don't expect them back for at least an hour."

Severus nodded. "We won't take up too much of your time."

Tonks nodded and gestured for us to sit down. "Can I offer either of you a drink?"

"No, thankyou," said Severus, pulling a folded piece of parchment out of his robes.

"Armilla?"

"No, thankyou," I said, joining my brother on the sofa. I felt distinctly uncomfortable being there. I had the impression that Tonks didn't really feel like socialising.

"How are you, Armilla?" she asked, smiling slightly at me as she sat down.

"Fine," I replied, not knowing what else to say. I _was_ fine, I supposed. I had gotten over the separation anxiety; at least I _thought_ I had. I worried about not being near my brother when he wasn't around, but maybe that was the influence of the war.

"Your summer must be wonderful," she went on, "knowing that you don't have to go to your father's house now."

I nodded.

"I don't think there's a word to describe the feeling," Severus put in. He frowned slightly at Tonks. "The pressure of your Order work has not been overtaxing you?"

Tonks looked a little uncomfortable. "No," she said quietly, not meeting his eye. "I can handle it. I'm just a little tired, as are all of us."

"Indeed," murmured Severus, not looking convinced.

"Moving on," said Tonks, looking up again, her expression a little brighter. "You have that report?"

"Yes," he answered, holding out the parchment. "As usual, it will require the password to reveal its contents."

Tonks nodded, taking the parchment. "Thankyou."

"Have you spoken to the Headmaster recently?" Severus asked. "He might have mentioned a couple of things you will read on that report."

"I saw him briefly late last night," she said, flushing slightly. "Only for a minute. There was no time to talk."

Severus frowned. "I had the impression the Headmaster had several important matters to attend to yesterday. What brought him to Torquay?"

Tonks shook her head? "He didn't come here. I was at the Weasleys' last night. Dumbledore brought Harry there to stay last night. I was on my way out."

As usual, Severus' face had darkened at the mention of Harry's name. "I suppose _precious Potter _made it there with no trouble?" He sneered. "Seeing as the Headmaster saw it fit to escort his golden boy to the Weasley abode himself?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Harry's life_ is_ in a significant amount of danger; I wouldn't call Dumbledore's decision to take Harry to the Weasleys' himself dramatic."

"I daresay Potter would have expected no less," said Severus indifferently. "I assume he is to stay at the Weasley residence for the remainder of the summer?"

"I suppose so," she replied.

He nodded curtly. "And so he will be treated as the pampered child he is."

Tonks gave him a sour look. "It shouldn't bother you; you have no need to go to The Burrow. Forget that he's even there."

Severus glowered at her. "How terribly naïve you are. Do you not see that Potter staying there will not be at all beneficial to breaking his reckless and arrogant nature? They will cater for his every whim like they have been doing these past few years. Any restrictions placed upon him are brushed aside with such arrogant indifference."

"He's _not_ arrogant, Professor," said Tonks heatedly, glaring at him.

"Is he not?" said Severus incredulously, standing up. "Tell me, Nymphadora, how often does Potter get himself into serious quandaries? Far more often than any other child his age! _Why_ is that so, Nymphadora?"

Tonks opened her mouth and closed it again. That was a wise decision in my opinion. My brother seemed ready to begin one of his Potter rants. Best get comfortable.

"Because he seems to think that he can assume responsibility for anything that comes his way," he went on, his expression hard. "And _why_ is that? Because no steps have been taken to stop his reckless behaviour. A lot of luck has gotten Potter out of some tricky ordeals, but they have resulted in having him on the receiving end of praise! And a _hero's_ praise at that!"

"Well…" Tonks began, looking very uncomfortable now.

"What _good_ has this done him?" Severus continued, beginning to pace now. "Has this taught him to think about controlling his actions? _No_. Has this taught him to consider possible consequences before proceeding? _No_. Has this taught him that there just might be other people who have to come to his aid every time when he rushes head-on into dangerous situations? _No_."

"Perhaps now it has," said Tonks quietly. "After the death of his godfather."

Severus paused and narrowed his eyes. "_Black_," he said, a malicious glint in his eye, "hardly set a good example." He started to pace again. "He probably _encouraged_ Potter to be reckless. He himself did not have a reputation for rational thought. He let himself be seen in public! He went to the Department of Mysteries after I had requested that he remain behind! If he had bothered to listen he would still be alive."

Tonks frowned. "Put yourself in the situation, Professor. If it had been Armilla in danger at the Department of Mysteries, wouldn't you have rushed to rescue her?"

Severus glared at her. "Armilla wouldn't have been so foolish to have led an expedition there in the first place, Nymphadora."

"Well," said Tonks, shifting slightly, "where Harry spends his time is up to Dumbledore." She met Severus' gaze. "If it was _your_ decision, Professor, how would _you_ have Harry spend his summer?"

He paused again, looking back at her. "I would organise for someone not as close to the boy to take him and train him…Shacklebolt, for example, perhaps even Moody. Potter needs discipline and plenty of it, if not for his sake, but for everyone else's. We cannot afford to lose lives every time Potter refuses to think before he acts."

This sounded like a very harsh thing to say, but it seemed that Tonks wasn't going to refute it. Like our visit to Matilda's the day before, this visit was turning out to be not at all what I had expected.

"Potter needs to be given limits," Severus went on. "Not simple warnings not to do things. He needs to know that everything he does will have consequences. Once Potter learns that he hasn't got free reign he might learn a thing or two."

"He has made some mistakes," said Tonks quietly, "but keep in mind that he is a child with very real emotions. Harry has been through a great deal. The loss of his parents, Cedric Diggory and Sirius would not have done much for his emotional wellbeing."

"Perhaps not," Severus agreed, looking indifferent. "The boy's bravado hides his considerable insecurities; however this is _no_ reason to tread carefully around him. I am not saying that everything Potter is involved in is his fault; a vast amount of it probably is, but what of the adults who should have known to step in and set him straight and remind him of his place? Potter should not have the view that he is solely responsible for solving every problem that comes his way."

Tonks looked thoughtful. "I think," she said slowly, "that Harry has always had to handle things himself. He has always had to rely on himself and so he must depend very little on adults. His muggle family offer no support."

Harry had an awful family? Severus didn't deny this. After all, he had seen into Harry's memories during their Occlumency sessions. I supposed he knew what sort of life Harry had.

"All the more reason to take him in hand," he said firmly. "The sooner Potter learns that it is not up to _him_ to decide on every course of action the better."

Tonks nodded grimly. "I suppose so. Haven't you been saying this to Dumbledore?"

"Of course," he scoffed. "But do you think the Headmaster will hear a word against his golden boy?"

"Dumbledore has his own very determined ideas," said Tonks vaguely.

"Indeed." Severus sat down again. "My efforts to make him see that Potter's character needs improving have been fruitless."

o o o o o o o o

Severus remained on edge after we left Tonks' house. We walked in silence back down the street towards the cluster of bushes where it would be safe to apparate. As Severus had predicted, we hadn't ended up staying for long. Tonks had made an effort to have some conversation with me, and I had obliged her accordingly, but I wasn't as chatty as usual simply because I had the feeling that Tonks' heart wasn't really in it.

As if reading my mind, Severus voiced his own thoughts on the matter. "You did not seem as willing as usual to engage in conversation with Tonks."

I shook my head as we rounded the corner. "I didn't really want to make conversation when it was clear that her thoughts were elsewhere."

"You noticed then?" he said, not looking at all surprised. "Hardly subtle, don't you agree?"

I nodded. "Something might have happened."

He snorted. "I don't think so."

I looked up at him. "What then?"

"I don't know," he said indifferently. "Here we are." He held his hands out for me to grasp so we could apparate home.

I held on tightly and before long we were back in Derbyshire in the forest clearing near our home. We climbed into the carriage and set off towards the house.

"Is it safe for Tonks to stay in a muggle house?" I asked suddenly, after looking out the window for a few minutes.

"I suppose she has taken the necessary precautions," Severus answered, sneering slightly. "She had better snap out of her present reverie and focus on the multitude of tasks at hand."

As unsympathetic as that sounded, I knew it wasn't my place to say so. I knew that the Order members had a lot of things to do and had a lot of stress, but that didn't mean they didn't have their own personal worries. Though he wasn't being empathetic when it came to Tonks, Severus had his own share of personal worries in addition to his Order and Death Eater responsibilities.

We arrived home to find Docky jumping up and down in the Entrance Hall, saying that an owl had arrived for Severus in his absence.

"It's a _Malfoy_ owl, Master Severus," said Docky, looking the most serious I had even seen him.

A _Malfoy_ owl? My heart skipped a beat. I wanted to get through the summer without the name _Malfoy_ being mentioned in the house.

Severus pursed his lips. "I assume the owl did not allow you to take the letter, Docky?"

Docky shook his head, his eye wide. "No, Master Severus. Docky had his fingers nipped." He held up his bony fingers and we saw that four of them had bandages on them.

Severus looked thoroughly irritated. "Where_ is_ the wretched owl?"

"Outside near the first greenhouse, sir," Docky replied, lowering his hands. "Docky banished it outside. Rude owl."

The faintest smirk crossed my brother's face, but it only lasted for a split second. He nodded curtly. "Thankyou Docky." He turned to me. "Armilla, go down to the kitchen with Docky and help him heal his hands. There are a couple of potions down there you'll find useful. I will join you shortly."

I nodded and gestured for Docky to follow.

"Docky is alright, Miss Armilla," the elf insisted, as we descended the stairs. "Docky does not wish to trouble you."

"It's no trouble, Docky," I said, walking into the big, narrow kitchen. "Healing your hands, especially when they're both injured can be quite difficult. I expect Severus wants to be sure that you don't get an infection."

"Master Severus is very kind," said Docky happily, taking a seat at the bench while I went to the cupboard that held the household potions. Severus had a much more elaborate supply under a strong locking charm upstairs, but he kept a simple emergency supply on hand in the kitchen.

"He is," I said, vaguely, searching for a salve I knew was effective. "Here it is." I turned around and something pink on the kitchen table caught my eye. A _very _pink cake complete with sugared white and yellow roses on top.

I turned back to Docky, very amused. "Is this my cake, Docky?"

Docky looked up from taking his bandages off. "Yes, Miss Armilla," he said, positively beaming at me. "Docky made it after you left."

"Thankyou," I said, looking down at the cake. "I really like it." Severus was going to _hate_ it. True, he _had_ conjured up a pink cupcake for my birthday, but I didn't think that was going to make a difference. I had the feeling that Docky had made the cake pink on purpose. Docky knew my favourite colour was blue.

"Docky is glad you like it, Miss Armilla."

When I joined him at the kitchen bench, he had finished taking his bandages off his fingers. The Malfoy's owl had certainly done a good job nipping at them. Grotesque thing.

"I wonder why there's a letter from the Malfoys," I said conversationally, applying the salve to his fingers.

Docky looked gravely at me. "The Malfoys are…" His eyes became wider. He dared not say anything against them.

"Dark witches and wizards?" I offered.

Slowly, he nodded. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, Docky happy to watch as I rewrapped his fingers.

Severus came down fifteen minutes later, looking distinctly more disgruntled than he had been earlier whilst ranting about Harry Potter.

"We will be seeing Narcissa and Draco Malfoy here for lunch tomorrow," he said shortly, sitting down at the bench next to me.

I didn't answer. Expressing what I felt about that was _not_ likely to make him feel any better about it. As it was, my stomach was doing flip-flops at the thought of a _Malfoy _being in my home.

Severus looked at Docky, whose ears had drooped slightly at the news. "Docky," he said quietly. "Please have lunch for four ready tomorrow at one o'clock."

Docky nodded. "Yes, sir."

Severus nodded. "You are excused." He waved his hand impatiently. "Go and wander the house for awhile."

Docky got up and actually managed to leave the room without bouncing around. I assumed he understood which moments _not_ test my brother's patience.

"I'm sorry, Armilla," said Severus quietly. "It has to be this way. The situation as it stands at the moment dictates that it would be unwise to refuse Narcissa this visit. She actually invited us to lunch at Malfoy Manor, but it would not be at all sagacious for us to attend. Our home, thanks vastly to Mother, provides an extremely high level of security to people with Merrigan blood. We cannot be harmed by those with ill intent whilst on the property."

I merely nodded.

"We will simple have to keep up appearances, Armilla," he went on, suddenly looking tired. "I do not expect they will stay for longer than a couple of hours."

"Won't they ask questions about Father?"

He nodded. "Perhaps. I will tell you that Narcissa and Draco _do_ know now about Father losing custody of you, as does the Dark Lord."

My stomach clenched, as it always did when Severus spoke of You-Know-Who. "Why do they know?"

"Father's absence has gone on long enough," he said indifferently. "The Dark Lord hasn't bothered wasting time on attempting to find him, but he did ask me if I had taken steps to cut off ties with him." He paused for a moment. When he continued, he spoke slowly, as if carefully choosing his words. "The Dark Lord is furious with Father. He was pleased when I informed him that I had cut ties with him by means of securing you in my custody. This does not mean to say that he is interested in you, he is satisfied that I do not feel any guilt about removing you from Father's reach. He does not know that you do not have much admiration for Father."

I nodded, still feeling queasy.

"On a brighter note," he said, standing up, "there are a couple of hours of daylight left. Come. I believe we can start celebrating your good OWL results."

I got up, wondering why the amount of daylight left was relevant. How were we going to celebrate? I was about to follow my brother when he stopped suddenly staring at something. I followed his gaze and then tried to muffle my laugh when I realised that he was looking at my pink cake.

He stared at it for a long time, his eyes narrowed. Finally he turned back to me. "I suppose you wish to _eat_ that?"

I nodded. "Of course."

He pursed his lips. "So casting a vanishing charm…or _Incendio_…would offend you?"

"Um…"

He sighed. "Why did I promise Mother I would keep him?" he muttered, walking towards the door.

"Because you would miss him if he was gone?" I offered, following him out the door.

He didn't bother to turn around. "Please don't imply that I have Hufflepuff tendencies."

"I'm not," I insisted. "Slytherins can feel those sorts of emotions."

Now he did stop. He turned around, looking a little baffled. "Did I hear you correctly?"

I nodded, not sure whether he was just baffled or angry and baffled. I had only said what I honestly thought. Contrary to what the Gryffindors in particular thought, I believed that the Slytherins _did_ feel emotions like longing, love and hurt. Why not? Just because many of them also had plentiful amounts of the…bad emotions…didn't mean that they weren't human like the rest of us. My brother was a Slytherin. I knew very well that he felt deeply.

"You may be the first outsider to acknowledge such a thing," Severus said, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I certainly won't openly broadcast it," I admitted.

He smirked and turned around, continuing on his way.

"Please _don't_."

I smiled. I followed him into his private study, which I had not spent much time in. It was a lot bigger than his office at Hogwarts. It had a huge mahogany desk with a high-backed chair with black leather. Though the house had a two-storey library, the study walls were still lined with bookcases. Heavy midnight blue drapes hung over the windows. My brother seemed to prefer working by candlelight than daylight.

I watched as he opened one of his cupboards and pulled out a long, narrow package. "You will need this," he said, passing the package to me.

I took it from him. I could tell it was a broom, but why would he give me a broom? I took the packaging off and gasped when I saw the model. I was far from being a Quidditch follower, but I knew a good broom when I saw one.

"It's a _Firebolt__ Max_," I said incredulously.

He gave a small smile. "Faster than _Potter's_."

I laughed. "Not with _me_ riding it. I'm not the best flyer." True, I knew how to fly and I had flown with Terry and Lisa before, but I was far from brilliant at it. My lack of interest in Quidditch had not inspired me to practise flying.

"I haven't seen you fly," said Severus. I noticed he was holding an old _Cleansweep_ in his hand. "Before your… dealings with Father recently, Father and I had been talking for awhile about having you learn to be more adept at flying. I don't mean in terms of playing Quidditch, but just learning because it is a skill you should have. I think you'll benefit from spending some time flying during the summer. It's a good reason for you to go outside occasionally instead of reading books all day long. It's just for the summer. You are not to take it to school."

I nodded. "Are you sure I won't fall off a _Firebolt__ Max_?" I was a little nervous that the broom would take off without me.

He smirked. "Don't worry about the model of the broom. I hadn't intended to get you a racing broom. I didn't think it was necessary. Father insisted that a housewife-bound witch such as yourself shouldn't have more than an old model. When I passed this rather chauvinistic view on to your mother, however, she was so incensed that she insisted I get you the fastest broom on the market." He gave a small smile. "I've had this broom waiting for you for awhile. You can blame _Mother_ for the model, not me."

I laughed. "Thankyou," I said, really meaning it.

"Just don't fall off," he said, leading the way out of the room. "If you managed to stay on a thestral for hours on end, you'll have no trouble staying on that broom."

"I was lucky I _didn't_ fall off that thestral," I said, following behind. "I _miss_ that thestral…"

"For the tenth time, I am _not_ bringing that damn thestral home."

"It's not a damn thestral."

"_Armilla_," he warned.

"It _did_ get me out of a predicament, that's all I'm saying."

"Indeed. Let's leave at that then," he said sternly.

We went out into the courtyard and continued on until we were at the edge of one of the green fields. I suddenly realised how thankful I was that the Merrigan Estate was so vast.

"What are you waiting for?" Severus asked, as I stood looking at my new broom. "Are you going to mount it?"

"Yes," I said, suddenly feeling nervous. I had ridden a broom hundreds of times before and _now_ I was nervous? It had to be because it was a fast broom. If the Hogwarts Quidditch teams could see me now, they'd die of laughter…or jealously because of the model I was holding in my hand.

"I meant are you going to mount it today?"

Ignoring the jibe, I mounted the broom and Severus did the same with his.

"Just fly next to me," he instructed.

I nodded. I had every intention to. "Just don't go too fast," I said.

He smirked. "I have the _Cleansweep_ and you have the _Firebolt__ Max_ and you're asking _me_ not to go too fast?"

Again, I nodded. Well, I hadn't been on a broom in _ages_.

He smiled. "Alright. Let's fly."

o o o o o o o o

Please review! Comments, even a few words, are very much appreciated.

Also, if you are a member of the Armilla Yahoo site and you review this story, could you let me know? Most of the member names do not match up with the review names.

I hope you all enjoy seeing _Order of the Phoenix_ next week! I know I will. A friend of mine won advance screening tickets to the IMAX next Monday (three days before it is officially released in Australia) and I'm the lucky friend who gets to tag along! Snape on the BIG screen…oh Lord…


	3. I Will Follow You

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

I am very pleased to announce that the first story, _Armilla_, is now available in German. A very kind reader, Xea, offered to translate it. I am very thankful to her and wish her luck for the long road ahead…it is a long story after all.

**Chapter 3**

Without hesitation, Severus took off and in a matter of seconds was at least twenty feet above me. For a moment I just watched. I wasn't sure if it was the situation that had me suddenly standing frozen or whether if it was my bemusement of seeing Severus Snape up in the air on a broom. I had only ever seen him ride a broom at a Quidditch match back in first year. He had refereed the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff match and he had not looked like he had enjoyed it at all. Seeing him willingly ride a broom now for my sake was endearing…but still a little strange to see.

He flew down a little lower. "Are you planning on joining me?" he called, the breeze making his black robes and hair flap behind him.

I nodded. "I think so." It was a _Firebolt Max_. What if I fell off?

He came down even lower. "There's no one else here, Armilla," he said, hovering a few feet above me. "There's no need for stage fright. Come."

He moved a little higher, gesturing for me to follow.

There was nothing for it. I had my pride. I had my dignity…sort of…well, I _had_ lost it many a time in front of my brother. I was going to lose it again by standing with both feet on the ground with a _Firebolt Max_ while my brother was above me on a _Cleansweep_.

Clutching the broom so hard my knuckles were turning white, I pushed off. I did well not to let out a yelp as I zoomed up a lot faster than I intended. I whizzed past my brother so fast that he seemed just a whirl of black robes. The broom certainly _was_ powerful.

Keeping in mind Severus' comment that _I _was in control of the broom, I tried to slow it down. It took a little longer than I intended and by the time I turned it around to face Severus, he was over twenty feet below me.

He flew up about ten feet and beckoned for me to fly down to meet him. I shook my head. There was no way I was going to fly down yet. I had zoomed twenty feet into the air without intending to, so I didn't want to dive twenty feet down again; I'd have a spectacular crash landing if I did.

"Come down a bit," he called.

"I'd rather you come to me," I called back.

He flew up and hovered at my side, looking a little bemused. "What happened to _don't go too fast_?"

"I still stand by that request," I said solemnly. "I don't know how I got up here."

The corners of his mouth twitched. "Very well. Just fly alongside me." He smirked. "Just to your best to _keep up_." He turned and flew off, gesturing for me to follow.

Without offering the range of retorts circulating in my mind, I followed and was beside him in seconds.

It felt so good to be on a broom again. I had never held much appreciation for brooms, especially as a means of transport, but since I had ridden a Thestral recently, the broom suddenly seemed so much more comfortable.

We flew over the grounds of the Merrigan Estate. I realised that there was a lot of our property that I hadn't seen. I had only ever followed the path leading onto the Estate and had only walked in a very close vicinity to the house. The view from many metres up in the air was very pretty. Everything was lush and green and many of the gardens were slightly overgrown, which I thought made it seem more natural. It seemed Docky didn't get around to pruning _every_ garden.

Severus, it seemed, had no difficulty flying at all. It wasn't that I expected him to be a bad flyer; I just had trouble imagining him flying for pleasure.

"Do you fly often?" I asked him, as we flew past the east side of the house.

He shook his head. "Since my first encounter with a bucking broomstick, I must say that I have never held much liking for flying."

"How do you fly so well then?"

"I _don't_ fly well," he said, "I fly adequately. I put in the practice in my teens. It was a means to get out of the house and out of Father's presence."

He suddenly sped up and I followed suit, enjoying the rush of wind on my face, blowing my hair out behind me. My nerves about flying had faded. I was really enjoying it, and from the lack of the usually present sneer of Severus' face, it seemed he didn't mind it either…or maybe the rush of wind made it hard to keep a sneer on his face.

"You're flying well," he commented, when I had reached his side again. With the speed we were at now, we had to talk quite loudly to be heard over the wind. "I assume your nerves have disappeared?"

"I suppose," I admitted. "That doesn't mean you can keep speeding up though." I had noticed that we were flying a _lot_ faster now than we had been over twenty minutes ago when we had first started.

He smirked at me. "I can do as I please," he said. "I don't think you're finding this as difficult as you thought."

I shook my head. "It's not incredibly difficult, but then, I'm not incredibly confident." That was true enough; I was enjoying it, but I didn't have the knack for it that natural flyers did.

"What's that?" I said suddenly, pointing down below. We had flown very far south of the house and I had seen a cluster of large stone things below in the middle of a clearing of trees. They were all either white or grey. They were merely specks of varying sizes from our high distance in the sky, but it was clear they were things that had been purposely put there.

Severus glanced down in the direction I was pointing. "Tombstones," he answered. "Some Merrigan witches and wizards are buried there."

"Can we look?" I asked, very interested. He had never told me about relatives that were buried on the estate.

"I suppose," he said indifferently. "It's nothing fascinating."

We slowed down and started to descend.

As we got closer, I could make out the group of tombstones more clearly. There couldn't have been more than six or seven of them. Some were very small, while other were large and had very ornate stone ornaments resting on top.

We landed smoothly (thank goodness) and left our broomsticks on the ground as we walked over to the small cemetery.

The ones closest to us were the smallest. They were both very simple white marble tombstone.

_Brigitta__ Hazel Merrigan_

_1826 – 1827_

_Alethia__ Julia Merrigan_

_1892 - 1895_

A chill swept through me at the sight of them. It was most unsettling to see the graves of small children. One had only been a baby.

"That's horrible," I said, gesturing to them. "Do you know how they died?"

"Mother would have been the better person to ask," he said, frowning down at the graves. "I do not recall everything she told me about them. I believe it's all recorded somewhere in the library back at the house. From memory, I believe Alethia's death was caused by a freak accident with a poisonous potion she somehow got her hands on. I am not sure about Brigitta. It might have merely been some sort of wizarding disease. Immunity potions were not so common back then, especially for infants."

"Why aren't there many here?" I asked, walking to a huge grey tombstone with a lion's head on top of it.

_Charlus__ Merrigan_

_1878 – 1952_

"The wizarding contract for owning this estate dictates that only those of Merrigan blood can be buried here," Severus answered, stopping next to me. "This meant that those marrying into the family couldn't be buried here. Most couples like the idea of having their final resting place side by side, and so most have been buried elsewhere."

"Oh." That was a little sad. It was a shame the law didn't allow for spouses.

I nodded at the lion's head on Charlus' tombstone. "Was he a Gryffindor?" I asked.

"Yes, poor sod," he replied, sneering at the lion. "Our great-grandfather."

"I wonder why he chose not to be buried beside his wife."

"Georgiana Bletchley," he said quietly. "She died quite a few years before him. According to Mother, Georgiana is buried over at the Bletchley's estate."

"Bletchley?" I repeated. "They were at Father's dinner party." The name brought back the face of Arian Bletchley, who had gotten me out of a tight spot with Marcus Flint at father's dinner party the year before. He had been very nice.

"They aren't all bad," said Severus indifferently. "I've taught all three of the Bletchley boys. Milton and Miles weren't as promising as their older brother."

"Arian," I said vaguely.

Severus gave me an inquisitive look.

"Charlus was the father of Lucia then, wasn't he?" I asked, looking back at the tombstone.

Lucia had been Mother's favourite aunt and was the person I had been named after…my original name. Lucia had married Christian Potter, and they were the grandparents of James Potter, Harry's dad. Snape had finally revealed that bit of family history to me months earlier. Apparently the Potters resented the fact that Severus had inherited the Merrigan Estate. They had thought the Snapes were a dark family with no right to the house listed under the noble name of Merrigan. Harry had no idea that he was distantly related to us, and Severus wanted to keep it that way.

Severus nodded, a sneer appearing on his face. "That's right. Thankfully, her branch of the family is _not _buried here. They'd pollute the grounds."

I kept silent, as I usually did when the conversation turned to anything Potter related.

"Come," said Severus, a moment later, walking back towards the brooms. "We'd best be getting back."

I followed and we silently mounted out brooms.

"I'll race you to the field just outside the courtyard," he said. He gave me a mocking smile. "I will give you a ten second head start."

"How kind you are," I said dryly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well?" he said. "What are you waiting for?"

"For you to specify a route back to the house, complete with boundaries," I answered, giving him a sly smile. "You have the advantage. You know the grounds better than I do and therefore would know of any alternate, much faster routes. I would like to know that we have the same limits in this race."

He opened his mouth and then closed it again, his eyes narrowed. "Ravenclaw," he said softly.

"Slytherin," I returned. I _knew_ him and his Slytherin ways. He could have very well taken an alternate route and then claimed that I had not enquired about specific paths to take.

He smirked. "I am pleased that you stopped to consider this. Very wily of you, Armilla. Very well then-" He paused to think for a moment. "Fly west from here until you reach the willow tree. You can't miss it, it's completely isolated. Head north until you reach the greenhouses and then fly around the house and land in the same spot where we took off. Clear?"

I nodded. Without hesitation this time, I took off and went as fast as I could to gain a greater distance from my brother. I had the faster broom, but he was a much better flyer.

I flew west, not daring to look behind me to see how far behind Severus was. Turning around on my broom would probably mean falling off. Soon enough, I saw the willow tree. I flew around it and then headed due north, willing the broom to go faster and faster. I hadn't flown this fast in my life. I was enjoying it, but I had the slight pang of worry inside that I wouldn't be able to slow it down again.

I would have thought it slightly rash to challenge me to a race when it was the first time I had ridden a broom in a long time. However, Severus was not the Head of Slytherin House for nothing…unless he was the only Slytherin on staff…but I wondered if he had challenged me to the race to assess my flying skills under pressure, which meant that he was likely to hang back for awhile to watch. He might speed up at the last minute.

Sure enough, as I reached the greenhouses, the sound of the rushing wind around me changed slightly and I knew someone else was right nearby. I sped up; I knew that he was close by. We raced around the house and then started to descend towards the field near the courtyard.

I was aware of how fast we were descending; if we continued at this speed we would likely have a crash landing. I started to brake and thankfully ended up having a smooth landing. Severus landed a split second later. I wondered if I looked as windswept as he did.

"Well done," he said, dismounting his broom.

I laughed. "You let me win."

He smirked. "I could see how well you flew under pressure that way."

I smiled. "You know, I was thinking that just after I flew around the willow tree. I thought you'd speed up later." And he_ had_.

He frowned. "Am I becoming that transparent?"

I shook my head. "Maybe I know you better than I did before."

He considered this for a moment.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing," I added.

"No," he admitted. "I wasn't thinking that it was a bad thing."

We began to walk back to the courtyard. The sun was going to set soon.

"That reminds me," Severus said, as I pushed my now quite messy hair back over my shoulder.

I looked over at him. "What does?"

He reached out and lightly pulled my dark hair. "Your hair. It must be cut before you go back to school."

I shook my head. I had always had long hair. I hadn't had it cut since last summer, but I _liked_ it long. Lisa had already complained to me that it was too long.

"Don't shake your head at me," he said curtly.

"I don't want it cut," I said firmly.

He raised an eyebrow. "I am afraid that is of little consequence. What _does_ concern me is that in two or three months I expect that your hair will be long enough for you to _sit_ on. The prospect of that doesn't sound appealing in the least. In conclusion, you're getting your hair cut whether you like it or not."

I looked crossly at him. He merely fixed me with a stern expression that dared me to challenge him.

We crossed the courtyard and headed towards the steps leading up to the front door.

"Fine," I said finally. I supposed being able to sit on my hair was _not_ something to brag about. Maybe I was feeling sentimental. After all, Merle had been the last person to cut my hair. "No more than two inches though."

He scoffed. "I would say at least _six_ inches would be sufficient, Armilla."

I shook my head. "Two."

"Five."

"_Two_."

He gave me an irritated look. "I at least dropped off an inch," he stated, glaring at me. He opened the door and stepped back to let me go in first. "You haven't compromised at all."

"That's because it's _my_ hair we're talking about," I said stiffly, passing him into the house.

He sighed. "I won't go any lower than four inches. Either you agree to four inches or I'll make it _five_."

"If I have to," I said crossly.

He glared at me. "I beg your pardon?"

"Four it is," I said quietly, feeling annoyed. It was _my_ hair. I was sixteen.

He shook his head, sneering at me. "Negotiating _hair_ length," he said disdainfully. "I am sure this is one of the delights of being guardian to a girl."

o o o o o o o o o o

By the time I went down to dinner that evening, I had just about gotten over being annoyed with Severus over my hair. It was hard to be annoyed with someone who didn't seem to _care_ that I was annoyed. He had been adamant that I not go to Diagon Alley to have a haircut. He said that anyone could be there swiping up hairs to use in Polyjuice Potions.

In the end Docky had cut my hair. It seemed that the house elf was very experienced in the trade, having done Mother's hair all her life. Magical scissors were a help as well. Severus had left us to it, reminding Docky that it had to be four inches. Docky knew I was not happy about it and made up for it was telling me amusing tales from Severus' childhood while he did it.

"It wasn't _that_ bad now, was it?" Severus asked, looking up from _The Evening Prophet_ as I came into the room.

"No," I said moodily, joining him at the table. In all honesty, my hair was still long, but it looked much better. There was no way I was going to admit that to Severus though. Maybe I just had been hung up on the fact that Merle had been the last person to cut it.

He leaned over slightly to have a look. "It's still long, Armilla. It's an adequate length."

"Oh great," I muttered, picking up my knife and fork, "adequate hair."

He frowned. "I said the_ length_ was adequate, Armilla, not your hair. Your hair is fine." He picked up his own knife and fork, shaking his head slightly. "I am not looking forward to the next time I have to bring this subject up."

I nodded my head in agreement. Hopefully he wouldn't.

"Are you going to help me brew some potions this evening?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes." I couldn't bite back my next comment. "Can I make a hair lengthening potion?"

He gave me an exasperated look. "Don't be impertinent, Armilla."

"Sorry."

He scoffed. "No, you're not."

I gave him a small smile. "What you are brewing?"

"I'd like to make a start on some Veritaserum," he answered. "How long does Veritaserum take to mature, Armilla?"

"A month."

"Very good," he said, nodding. "The Order will be requiring more of it in the next couple of months. I need a full supply. I also need a supply of Invigoration Draught. If I start the Veritaserum, can I leave you to make the Invigoration Draught?"

I nodded. "Yes." I was confident enough with that. I had made it several times for him.

I joined Severus in the lab not long after dinner and we got straight into it. I often marvelled at how deftly my brother worked. I did well enough in Potions, Severus made sure of _that_, but I didn't possess the skill and natural instinct that he did when it came to Potion making.

We worked in silence for about twenty minutes; Severus needed to concentrate on the Veritaserum. When he was content that things were going smoothly, he turned to me.

"I have finished my research on Mother's ring."

I looked up from the roots I was dicing. "What did you find out?"

"To be honest, not a great deal," he replied. "I did manage to confirm that it could only be used once. It had been in Mother's family all that time and had never been used. It's quite useless now. There's not an ounce of magic left in it. It's a little difficult to research a magical object when I can't receive a magical response from it."

"What are you going to do with the ring?" I asked. We didn't have a grave for Mother. When her spirit had entered the ring, her body had magically vanished.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," he said, picking up some Abyssinian shrivelfigs. "At present, it is sitting on my desk. Considering that it is a _reminder _of Mother, I don't believe casting it aside would be respectful to her memory."

"Maybe we could bury it next to the other graves on the grounds?" I suggested.

He nodded. "I did think of that. However, there is another place on the grounds that I think would be even more sufficient. I have yet to show it to you because I don't normally roam that part of the grounds."

"Where is it?" I asked, intrigued.

He shook his head. "Wait until I show you."

I hated it when he was secretive. "Why don't you roam that part of the grounds?"

He sneered. "It's a little… _romanticised_ for my tastes."

I laughed. "You mean there's plenty of flowers and butterflies?"

His sneer became more pronounced. "Yes, well, personally I find the place a bit nauseating, but Mother liked it and that's what counts I suppose."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

The afternoon the following day came all too quickly for my liking. I did not have any wish to see Draco Malfoy or his mother. Neither did Severus for that matter, so there was no point in complaining to him about it.

"Hopefully they won't stay all afternoon," he muttered, as I followed him down the main staircase. Docky, who had been busy preparing lunch, had spotted them making their way through the courtyard that led to the front door and Severus wanted to receive them in the main sitting room.

We were both wearing robes, indicating the formalness of this visit. Severus generally didn't bother with his outer robes around the house, and I generally only wore mine when I went out.

"May I occlude?" I asked, as we sat down on the sofa. I generally asked his permission to occlude. He normally didn't like me occluding in his presence. He took it as a sign of wanting to hide my feelings from him.

He nodded. "Of course. Neither Narcissa nor Draco has experience with Occlumency, but it would be wise to occlude all the same."

We heard Docky's voice off in the distance, receiving our guests. Docky sounded very serious; I supposed this was the formal side he adopted for guests like the Malfoys.

A moment later, the door opened and Docky came in, followed by Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. Mrs Malfoy looked more than a little anxious. Her skin had a sickly look to it, which wasn't helped by the long blonde hair which hung so limply down her back. Her elaborate, deep silver robes hung a little loosely on her thin frame.

Malfoy, on the other hand, looked remarkably healthy for one whose father had only recently been put in Azkaban. Terry had sent me a letter not long ago, stating that he had witnessed a spectacular hexing of Malfoy by other members of the DA on the train ride home. Malfoy showed no signs of one whose ego had been forced down a few pegs. He stood very straight, his eyes slightly narrowed and his lip curled. His deep green robes looked _very_ expensive. Severus and I seemed to be dressed quite plainly in comparison.

Severus and I stood up.

Docky bowed to Severus. "Mrs Malfoy and Mr Draco Malfoy, sir."

Snape strode forwards and I followed. He held out his hand to shake Mrs Malfoy's hand. "It is a pleasure to see you, Narcissa."

Mrs Malfoy gave him a tense smile as she shook his hand. "I'm delighted you made the time to see us, Severus," she said.

Severus looked at Malfoy and nodded, holding out his hand. "Draco."

Malfoy nodded back, shaking his teacher's hand. "Professor."

Mrs Malfoy turned her attention to me. "It's been too long since I saw you last, Armilla," she said, shaking my hand. "It was a lovely night at your father's gathering, was it not?"

I nodded. "Yes, it was." No, it _wasn't_. All night I had felt like a new doll being shown around.

She turned back to Severus. "Draco and I cannot stay long. We need to meet Bellatrix later in the afternoon."

Severus nodded. He turned to Docky, who was standing near the door, still waiting to be dismissed.

"Docky, have lunch served in the dining room in five minutes."

Docky bowed. "Yes, Master Severus, sir." He left the room, his face so serious that I was reminded of my father's horrible house elf, Jiffy. Generally, the two house elves were _not_ two of a kind.

"Sit down," Severus said, gesturing to the sofa closer to the Malfoys. They sat, and Severus and I sat opposite them.

"I presume," my brother began, his eyes fixed on Mrs Malfoy's, "that this is not merely a social visit? You sounded a little anxious in your letter, Narcissa."

Mrs Malfoy's hands were clutching her robes with very evident stress. Malfoy, on the other hand, was gazing around the room with a haughty expression.

"We needed to see you, Severus," Mrs Malfoy said earnestly, leaning forward slightly.

"_You_ needed to see him," Malfoy said abruptly, glaring at his mother. "_I_ didn't."

"You will address your mother with proper respect, Draco," Severus snapped, shooting the boy a hard look.

Malfoy frowned at Severus. "I think-"

Severus overrode him. "Your mother has not finished speaking, Draco," he said severely, his eyes flashing. "Wait until you are invited to speak. Do not forget your _place_."

Mrs Malfoy didn't look at all unsettled by this admonishment of her son. Rather, she looked anxiously at Malfoy as he diverted his eyes from his teacher and looked at the floor. Perhaps this was not the first time he had been rebuked by Severus in front of his mother.

"Sorry, Mother," he muttered, looking sullen.

Mrs Malfoy glanced at him briefly before continuing. "I needed to see you," she said quietly, clutching at her robes again. "I didn't know who else to turn to…with Lucius in prison…I…" she paused to take a breath and I noticed that there were tears in her eyes. "The Dark Lord has been requesting Draco's presence quite frequently, Severus."

Severus' expression was indifferent. "Yes, I am aware."

I looked over at Malfoy. He now had his arms folded and was determinedly looking in the opposite direction.

Mrs Malfoy took another breath, as if willing the tears to go away. "He wants Draco to take the Dark Mark, Severus!"

My heart started to pound. The Dark Mark? Malfoy, a _Death Eater_? He was only my age.

"Yes," said Severus simply.

Malfoy now broke his gaze on whatever he had been staring at and watched my brother.

Mrs Malfoy now looked ready to burst into tears. "I am not against the cause, Severus, as you very well know," she said, her voice shallow. "But Draco…my son! He's only sixteen, Severus!" She stood up and began to pace. "I ask you, how often does The Dark Lord recruit sixteen year olds?"

"Rarely, as far as I know," he responded, his voice low.

"Then don't you agree this is a plot for revenge?!" she shrieked, tears now falling down her face.

Malfoy turned and gave his mother an angry look, but another glare from Severus prevented him saying anything.

"Narcissa, calm yourself," Severus said, his low voice a stark contrast.

Docky appeared at the door. "Lunch is served, Master Severus."

Severus nodded curtly and stood up, gesturing for Docky to leave again. Docky turned and disappeared out the door.

"Come," said Severus. "We shall continue this in the dining room." He turned to walk to the door.

Mrs Malfoy followed him and Malfoy and I stood up to follow. I wondered if Severus was inwardly angry that I was being exposed to such a conversation. Generally, any Death Eater activity or Dark Lord related conversations were strictly kept away from my hearing.

We sat down in the dining room, Severus taking his place at the head of the table.

Mrs Malfoy seemed to have composed herself on the short walk to the dining room. Malfoy continued to look bored and agitated.

"Now," said Severus, pouring red wine for himself and Narcissa, ignoring Malfoy's pointed look at not being offered wine. "You believe the Dark Lord wants Draco to take the Dark Mark out of revenge?"

"I do," she answered, after taking a sip of wine. She mopped at her face with a handkerchief. "What other use would the Dark Lord have for a sixteen year old?"

"Maybe he thinks I'm a capable wizard, Mother," said Malfoy quietly, glaring at the pumpkin juice in front of him.

Mrs Malfoy and Severus ignored him. Severus held up his glass and we did likewise. "To the Dark Lord," he said, before taking a drink.

We drank as well; I felt sick at the thought of drinking to the Dark Lord. I supposed that was a sacrifice I had to make, being the sister of a double agent.

"The Dark Lord is far from pleased that Lucius is in Azkaban," Mrs Malfoy continued, after we had started to eat.

"Not just because he is in Azkaban, Narcissa," said Severus, looking up from his meal. "Lucius was supposed to be in charge. He failed to retrieve the prophecy and it was destroyed. I cannot pretend that the Dark Lord is not angry."

"So, it's true then?" Mrs Malfoy said shakily, her eyes full of tears again. "It is just an act of spite."

Severus determinedly looked back to his meal, his disdainful expression showing he clearly did not approve of the woman's tearful face.

"Severus?" Mrs Malfoy gave a little hiccough.

"If it is an act of spite, Narcissa," he said slowly, not looking at her, "it is not my place to find out. The Dark Lord has his reasons and it is not for us to question his motives. The Dark Lord's word is law and you must respect that."

Though I was occluding, I felt so strange inside. Of course I knew my brother was a spy for the Order of the Phoenix, but it was so unsettling to see him in Death Eater mode. Perhaps that meant he was a good actor.

"Do you not wish for Draco to become a Death Eater?" asked Severus quietly, still not looking at her. "Is it not Lucius' wish?"

"Eventually, yes, I suppose," she answered, mopping at her eyes. "Lucius is keen for Draco to follow in his footsteps, but not quite this early. This is why I am convinced it's an act of revenge. Draco is not a qualified wizard. He's too inexperienced to become a Death Eater."

"I daresay the training is on the job," Severus said dryly, sparing Malfoy an indifferent look before looking at Mrs Malfoy. "I do not see why this is relevant to me, Narcissa. I cannot…I am not stupid enough to attempt to change the Dark Lord's mind. If he wants Draco to become a Death Eater then the event must occur."

"It is relevant because I want to find out what you _know_, Severus," she said earnestly. She reached out and placed her hand over his, even though he was holding his knife in that hand.

Malfoy watched with a look of the utmost contempt. It clearly sickened him to see his mother grovel to his teacher.

"You're Lucius' old friend, Severus," she whispered, blinking back tears again. "I implore you…you would tell me if Draco was in danger?"

Severus' indifferent expression remained intact. "Do not assume that I know every one of the Dark Lord's plans," he said quietly. "I know not of the Dark Lord's plans for Draco and if I had been sworn to secrecy I could not reveal them to you." 

Mrs Malfoy began to sob.

Severus' lips thinned. "Surely you respect that obedience to the Dark Lord cannot be compromised over friendships?"

She nodded, hiccoughing. "Bellatrix said the same thing."

Severus sighed and picked up Mrs Malfoy's glass of wine. He released his hand from her clutch and pushed the wine into it. "Drink this," he instructed.

She took a drink, and as she did so, her gaze fell on me.

"Severus," she said, her voice shaking slightly as she put her glass down. "Has the Dark Lord been requesting Armilla's presence?"

Malfoy's attention perked up at this question. He looked at me before turning his gaze to my brother.

"No," said Severus simply, "Why should he?"

"She's the same age as Draco," she pointed out. "Has he not asked you to bring Armilla before him?"

A pang went through my heart. The thought of such a thing sent shivers down my spine. Now I really appreciated why Severus avoided having me present for such conversations.

Severus glanced briefly at me before looking back at Mrs Malfoy. "No, he has not," he said quietly. "I expect he sees more potential in Draco."

Malfoy turned to give me a smug look, which I politely ignored.

"In any case," Severus continued. "Father was very against Armilla becoming a Death Eater. His view was that with all the female supporters of the Dark Lord being Death Eaters, who would bear the children to follow?"

Mrs Malfoy frowned. "A valid point," she muttered. "Bellatrix had ample time to have children before she went to Azkaban."

"Indeed she did," he agreed. "But she chose the Death Eater path. Father ended up having this very conversation some months ago with the Dark Lord, Narcissa, and the Dark Lord quite agreed."

Though this was sickening to hear, I couldn't help feeling relieved that the Dark Lord had agreed.

Mrs Malfoy sighed. "So I am to bite my tongue and tolerate this?" She looked pleadingly at my brother. "He's my _only_ son, Severus."

"And hopefully he'll do you and Lucius proud," said Severus quietly, meeting her gaze. "There's nothing to be done, Narcissa. If the Dark Lord requests it, anyone who stands in his way would be utterly foolish."

o o o o o o o o o o

We said our formal goodbyes to the Malfoys at the front door. Severus walked with them through the courtyard, but I stayed inside and went up to my bedroom.

I sat down on my bed feeling exhausted. I had barely said a word the entire time they were there, yet I felt mentally drained. Maybe it was the stress of keeping up appearances. Perhaps it was from watching Severus acting as a part of the Dark Lord's side. Either way, I was worn out.

Malfoy hadn't spoken a word to me the entire time. Not that I cared. Quite the contrary; I loathed the twitchy ferret boy.

I sighed, getting up to take my outer robe off. I put it away and sat down on my bed again, twirling my (significantly shorter in my opinion) hair in my fingers.

Malfoy a Death Eater? I shuddered. So Severus had known about it? It wasn't as if I had expected him to tell me. Just the thought of someone in my year at school being a Death Eater…it was disturbing.

I sat there, completely lost in my thoughts for ages. I was trying to decide if I preferred to be kept in the dark about this sort of subject.

The door suddenly opened and my brother strode in, looking a little disgruntled and tired. He spotted me sitting on my bed and stopped a few feet in front on me.

"I apologise for today," he said. "I normally do my best to keep you from witnessing such conversations, but it could not be avoided. I cannot keep taking you out of the limelight when Narcissa Malfoy wants us together for lunch."

I shrugged. "That's alright."

"No, it's not," he said, folding his arms. "As uncomfortable as today was, it was made even more uncomfortable by your presence."

I looked up at him. "Why? Did I do something wrong?" Had I displayed bad table manners or something? I hadn't been brought up to the socially high level that my brother and the Malfoys had been, but I thought I had enough etiquette not to embarrass myself.

He shook his head. "No, no, you did nothing wrong at all. In fact, you did very well today." He looked agitated. He often looked like that when he was finding it difficult to express himself.

"What then?" I asked softly.

He gazed at me for a moment before turning and walking to one of the windows. I silently watched as he glared out of it.

"I hate having to put you in this position," he said finally, still looking out the window. "I don't feel as guilty when I can deal with this alone. That way I can leave you at home…where you should be."

I said nothing. I had the feeling there was more coming.

"I am the one who made mistakes in the past," he said, his tone becoming hard. "For all these years since the Dark Lord's downfall I have made my peace with the fact that I would have to bear the consequences." He finally turned around to face me. "It is inevitable that I pay the consequences for my mistakes. _You_ shouldn't."

"I don't," I said quietly.

"You _do_," he insisted. "Are you or are you not on the side of the Light?"

I nodded. "The Light," I murmured.

"But you drank to the Dark Lord today," he said.

"_Pretended_ to," I said indifferently, "as _you_ did."

"Yes, as I did," he said angrily. "But you _had_ to because I put you in that position. You have to keep up appearances for _my_ sake. My past mistakes are forcing you into this, Armilla."

"And there's nothing to be done about it," I replied. "We knew all this when you first received custody last year."

He sighed, rubbing his temples. He was tired.

We were both silent for a moment. I watched him at the window from my position on the bed.

"I know there is no point in dwelling on this," he said finally, walking over to sit on my bed. "Normally, I wouldn't say anything at all. I felt terribly frustrated today. You do not deserve a life exposed to things like that. I feel guilty when I have to subject you to such things. Today was no exception."

The feeling these words gave me recalled a scene from a long time ago when Severus had lectured me about burdens.

"I didn't find today comfortable," I admitted, knowing he appreciated honesty. "But that comes with the family. You mightn't have become a Death Eater if you'd had a different father."

He considered me for a moment, looking more tired than anything else. "It doesn't matter," he said finally. "I was still old enough to be responsible for my own choices….Father just didn't help things…You're still being forced into keeping up this act. I have every right to feel guilty for that. I think this is the guilt Matilda wanted me to feel."

I looked up at him, feeling alarmed. So he _had_ been thinking about what Matilda had said to him about me being in danger. "I'm not going anywhere," I said. "I'm not leaving."

"No, I didn't mean I wanted that," he said hastily. "I have no intentions of sending you anywhere. I suppose what I am saying is that the reality of the situation really sunk in today. Perhaps it would have sunk in last year if I had been present at Father's dinner party."

"Good thing you weren't," I said, leaning over to hug him, "you would have hated it."

He wrapped his arms around me and sighed. "Without a doubt," he said quietly.

"It'll be worth it in the end," I murmured.

He didn't answer at first.

"We can only hope," he said finally, hugging me more tightly.

We stayed silent for awhile. There was a long, difficult road ahead, we both knew that. I knew it was going to be more difficult for my brother, but I wanted to walk with him on that road for as far as I could. It didn't matter that I had to pretend where my allegiances lay. It didn't matter that I had to pretend because of something out of my control. It was a matter of life and death.

My thoughts were broken by the sound of the wind outside, blowing against the windows.

"There were some dark clouds when I was outside just now," said Severus, "There's a storm coming."

The sudden crack of thunder confirmed this.

"Up for some duelling tonight?" he asked, sounding a little happier. Perhaps the dull weather had lifted his spirits.

"Aren't you tired?" I asked. I _was_.

"I am _never_ too tired to duel," came the dry reply.

"Alright then…"

Severus ran his hand through my hair. "Your hair is a bit short," he teased.

I groaned and reached up to bat his hand away. My hair still reached halfway down my back, but it _was_ a lot shorter. "It's _your_ fault," I grumbled.

o o o o o o o o o o

Some dialogue in this chapter was adapted from _Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince_, Chapter 2.

A/N Thanks for reading. I would really appreciate a comment – a minute to review isn't much after hours and hours spent writing…and it encourages me to write faster if I know people like it.

Though this story is now AU, it still will follow a little HBP content but _very loosely_. Don't worry about the timing being a bit different to HBP – e.g. like when Draco took the Dark Mark. That part of the plot will be mainly AU.

The Merrigan Family Tree (which I released after the _Getting to Know You_ chapter in the first story) is still available on the Armilla Yahoo site. It mentions a few of the names you read about in the cemetery during this chapter. You can see how they all fit in, and how the Potter family fits in.


	4. Missing You

A/N I assume that you're browsing through because you've finished _Deathly Hallows_. I am still getting over it (sob…). I assure all faithful readers of _Armilla_ that new canon HP from _Deathly Hallows_ will not dramatically affect my plotline. I always use some HP canon in the background, but my major storylines won't really be affected.

I wrote a tribute (a one shot) for my favourite character. If you would like to read it, it's called _Hang On_ and can be found on this site.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

**Chapter 4**

It had been a few days since Narcissa and Draco Malfoy had come for lunch, and thankfully no more visits had been requested by the Malfoys or any other Death Eater family. I had assured my brother that I would play the necessary role when it came to such gatherings, but I loathed the pressure that came with it. I marvelled at the amount of pressure Severus dealt with as a double agent.

I was quite pleased to go downstairs to eat on Thursday night, knowing that Severus would be there; he had been out the last few nights, either on Death Eater related business or for Order meetings. I hadn't said as much, but I had been missing him. As much as I liked Docky's company, I liked knowing Severus was nearby. With all the pressure Severus was under, I wasn't about to admit that I was feeling a little lonely.

Severus was just sitting down at the table when I entered the room. He looked nearly as tired as he had been the other afternoon when the Malfoys had left. No doubt he was glad to be home. He didn't see me smile to myself in happiness that I could actually eat with him tonight.

He offered me a small smile in greeting when he noticed my presence. "I just got back from Hogwarts," he said, as I sat down in my place.

"Were you seeing Dumbledore?" I asked, watching him pour red wine into his goblet.

He shook his head. "No, Flitwick and I were reviewing the security wards around Hogwarts. Dumbledore has been engaged for much of the afternoon, but I expect him here in the next half hour. We have a few things to discuss this evening."

"Oh," I said, hiding the disappointment I felt from showing on my face. I had been hoping to spend time with him that evening. As it was, I knew Order business had to come first. I wasn't selfish enough to complain about having barely seen my brother in the past few days. It wasn't his choice either.

"I don't anticipate anything coming up in the next few days," he went on, picking up his knife and fork. He looked over at me. "Hopefully I will have no need to go out. I would like for us to work on your mental shield if you're up for it."

I nodded. "I'd like to." We had spent months and months developing my defence and duelling skills during the school year. We had duelled a few times since coming home, but Severus hadn't had the time to properly devote time to expanding the mental shield I had developed.

I had used the Occlumency-based mental shield it to great effect recently when I had duelled with Father. It had managed to throw off Father's first two attacks of the Cruciatus curse, leading Severus to believe that the shield was much stronger than we had anticipated. It had crumbled completely the third time; the memory of experiencing the Cruciatus curse was not something I was likely to forget. Severus was hoping that we could strengthen the shield even more to throw off extremely strong hexes. I wasn't sure just how we were going to practise such a thing; I knew he wasn't about to use Unforgivables on me.

He nodded. "Good, we can make a start on that tomorrow. Perhaps on the weekend we can bury Mother's ring."

Again I nodded. He still hadn't shown me the place on the grounds where he wanted to bury the ring. It was going to be a completely separate place to the cemetery on the grounds. Severus wanted to bury the ring in a place Mother had loved.

"On an entirely different note," he went on, suddenly frowning down at his dinner, probably just noticing that Docky had cut the carrot into star shapes, "provided that next week does not bring significant interruptions, would you like to have Miss Turpin and Mr Boot over here for an afternoon?"

The thrill I felt at these words was astronomical. I hadn't seen my friends since I had waved them goodbye on the last day of school. I was missing them terribly. When Merle had been alive, I had seen them quite often during the holidays.

"I take it from your smile that you support the idea," he said.

"I do, very much," I said, smiling back at him. "Are you sure it won't be too much trouble?"

He shook his head. "I would not have offered otherwise," he said dryly. "I will arrange matters so they can arrive here undetected."

"Undetected?" I asked, feeling a little worried, "Do you mean the house is being watched?"

"The wards around our grounds are far too strong to allow anyone to watch the house," he replied, glaring at his carrots as if in a moral dilemma about whether to eat them or not. "All the same, some Death Eaters make it their mission to delve into the business of other followers. I have had no indication that my movements are being watched, but I'd rather remain vigilant all the same."

I nodded. That made sense. I was elated at the thought of seeing my friends. I knew that Lisa had just arrived home from her trip to New Zealand. Terry would be overjoyed to have a chance to get away from cleaning his gran's attic.

"Thankyou," I said sincerely, returning to my dinner.

He raised an eyebrow. "Don't thank me, Armilla. As happy as you are at the thought of seeing them, I know you _need_ to see them."

Before I could question what he was implying, Docky bounced into the room. He came to a halt at Severus' side and bowed. "Master Severus, Professor Dumbledore has just arrived and is waiting in the drawing room."

"Much earlier than I had expected," Severus muttered. He looked down at Docky. "Tell the Headmaster I shall see him directly."

Docky bowed again and sped out of the room.

Severus sighed, putting his knife and fork down on his plate, which still held a significant amount of his meal. "I apologise, Armilla," he said, standing up. "I will come up to say goodnight later." He squeezed my shoulder as he passed. "Make sure you finish your meal."

I turned slightly and watched him leave the room, his black robes billowing out behind him. I pushed back the dejected feeling I had from his sudden absence. He couldn't help it after all.

I finished my dinner and then helped Docky clean up in the kitchen. I was rewarded with a slice of Docky's specialty Jaffa cake. I went upstairs, feeling in reasonably good spirits, especially since I could have my friends over next week. I couldn't wait to see them.

I entered my bedroom to find that Morag had returned. I had let her out earlier in the afternoon to explore the grounds on the condition that she was not to bring back any unsightly souvenirs. She was currently sitting on top of the piano, her feathers a ghastly shade of pink.

"You know I prefer white," I commented, passing her as I went into the bathroom. She responded with a series of good spirited hoots, hopping about on the piano. I showered and then settled on my bed to read over the essays I had completed that afternoon. Severus was still giving me homework. If I had been having a more eventful summer I would have complained, but as it was, I found completing them passed the time. The essay topics weren't pointless subjects either; Severus had been giving me topics that were either relevant to the defensive magic we regularly practised or to the upcoming sixth year curriculum.

As I read over the first essay, Morag seemed content to hop about on the piano, hooting softly. However, when I moved onto the second essay, she began to get louder and fluttered her wings as she moved.

"There's new food and water in your cage, you know," I said without looking up, "it's open."

As I continued to read, the incessant hooting became ridiculously loud. Annoyed, I finally looked up to see that Morag was now an even darker shade of pink. She wasn't looking at me though; she was staring at the open window.

I jumped as I saw that Morag and I weren't alone. A very large greyish owl was sitting on the window sill, watching Morag through small black eyes. It didn't make a single sound and it sat rigidly still; if it wasn't for the blinking of the eyes every now it could have passed off as a stuffed toy.

The owl didn't have any mail tied to either of its legs; trepidation crept up in me as I watched it. Morag hooting at it was not a good sign; perhaps she recognised it as an intruder.

I didn't really want to disturb Severus until I was sure, especially seeing as he was with Dumbledore.

"Docky!" I called.

Docky appeared in front of me with a pop. "You called Docky, Miss Armilla?"

"Yes," I answered, looking back towards the owl, who had not taken its eyes of Morag.  
Morag continued to hoot. I gestured towards the owl. "Do you recognise that owl Docky? If it's a visitor, it doesn't seem to have anything."

Docky turned to look in the direction I was pointing. "Hello, Aeolus," he said simply. He turned back to me. "Aeolus lives here, Miss Armilla."

I frowned. "How long has he lived here?"

Docky stared up at the ceiling, clearly thinking hard. "Docky is guessing about fifteen years, Miss Armilla."

"Why hasn't Severus mentioned him?" I asked, very curious to know that there was another owl in residence.

Docky didn't seem to think that Aeolus' presence was anything important. "Perhaps Master Severus hasn't thought to mention him. Docky only sees Aeolus every now and then, and Master Severus rarely sees him at all."

"Does Aeolus belong to Severus?" I questioned, trying to solve the mystery that was this owl.

Docky shook his head. "Docky doesn't think so, Miss Armilla. Aeolus was Emiliana McGonagall's owl."

I stared at Docky. Emiliana McGonagall? She had been Mother's best friend and had been her Secret Keeper when Mother had fled from Father whilst pregnant with me. Emiliana had been killed in Hogsmeade shortly after Mother's death. Mother had been in hiding in a muggle area when she had died. There had been a muggle massacre in the street we had lived in.

"Why would Emiliana McGonagall's owl be here?" I asked. "Surely it would have been given to her sister?"

Docky shook his head. "Aeolus came straight here after Emiliana died," he explained, "and he refused to leave, not even to deliver a message. Severus knew it was Miss McGonagall's owl and called Minerva McGonagall here to retrieve him, but he was too content to stay here. In the end they agreed to let the owl remain on the grounds. He never comes inside. I leave food in one of the greenhouses for him and he lives on that."

"I wonder why he came straight here after she died," I said absently, staring at Aeolus. He certainly looked quite old. His gaze was still firmly fixed on Morag.

"Perhaps to communicate something to Master Severus?" Docky suggested, now watching Aeolus as well.

I frowned. I had asked Severus long ago, before we had known that we were related, what he knew of Emiliana McGonagall. Her name had been coming up in my dreams. He hadn't mentioned that he had her owl at home. I supposed though, that such information would have been entirely irrelevant at the time. Severus had been irritable enough that I had dared to ask him for information. I smiled to myself as I remembered the days before our relationship had revealed itself.

"I suppose he met Morag flying around the grounds this afternoon," I said. I turned to Morag. "Why is he staring at you, Morag? You weren't rude to him, were you?"

Morag cocked her head to one side and let out a small hoot. She looked back at Aeolus and fluttered her wings. He merely blinked in response.

"Docky thinks Aeolus is curious about Morag, Miss Armilla," said Docky, looking up at me.

Morag hooted again and changed back to her normal snowy white. This change finally prompted a response from Aeolus. He hooted and flapped his wings.

Morag took off and soared around the room once before landing on the window sill next to Aeolus. They both looked at each other for a moment before hopping to face the outside. A second later they took off and disappeared into the night.

I ran over to the window. "Morag! Come back!"

"Docky thinks Morag is in love, Miss Armilla," said Docky solemnly, looking very serious.

"Good for her," I huffed, squinting into the darkness for signs of movement. I could only see the branches of trees swaying in the strong winds outside. "She had better come back soon."

"Docky does not think that it likely."

"Thankyou," I muttered. I made my way back to my bed, intending to finish reading over my essay. I smiled grimly to myself over how ridiculous it seemed that Morag was out with a friend whilst I read over homework.

"Goodnight, Miss Armilla," said Docky, bowing very low.

I looked up to give him a smile. "Goodnight Docky. Pleasant dreams."

Instead of disappearing on the spot, Docky walked over to the door and opened it. He was about to close it behind him when I heard angry voices from downstairs. Docky also stopped, looking startled.

I got up and went to the door.

"-Absolutely not, Headmaster! How you could think of such a thing is beyond me…"

"It is the logical choice, Severus. You must see-"

A door slammed closed and the voices became muffled. I looked down at Docky. "Make yourself scarce," I whispered. It seemed that Dumbledore had made a request that had sent Severus off into a temper. Docky nodded, walked down the hall and disappeared down the stairs.

I closed my own door and went back to my essay for the third time. I wondered what Dumbledore had said to make my brother so angry. Usually when Severus was angry, he would speak very quietly and glare venomously at the offender. He only spoke loudly when he lost his temper, which I did not see often.

Nine o'clock came and there was still no sign of Morag. I hadn't heard another sound from downstairs either.

I decided to just go to bed with a book. Chances were that Severus was not going to be in a happy mood when he finally came upstairs and I didn't want to fuel his temper by going to bed later than I should. I would just read until nine-thirty.

I pulled out the copy of _Winnie the Pooh_ that Matilda had given me for my birthday. I was just up to the part when Pooh was finding a birthday present for Eeyore when I heard muffled voices in the entrance hall. Dumbledore must have been leaving.

Another ten minutes went by before I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I put my book down as there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Severus came in, his face expressionless. He stopped at the foot of my bed and folded his arms. "There has been a change of plan," he said shortly.

I was silent, waiting for him to elaborate.

"It appears that the _Headmaster_," he said the name with as much venom in his voice as possible, "thinks it would be wise to begin teaching Potter Occlumency again."

Oh dear…

"As such," he went on, his expressionless face suddenly changing to one of suppressed fury, "I have once again been forced into the happy task of teaching the little wretch."

"Over the holidays?" I asked.

He nodded, his expression most ill-tempered.

"A couple of times a week or something?" I wondered where Severus would go to teach him. Headquarters?

He sighed, suddenly looking troubled. He came over and sat near me on the bed. "The Headmaster means for Potter to spend time training with me. _Intense training…with no distractions."_

I stared at him. "Oh."

"_Oh_ indeed," he muttered. "Dumbledore believes that without the distraction of his friends or school activities, Potter will be able to focus on learning Occlumency and some other defensive magic."

"For how long?" I asked.

"Eternity, as I see it," he replied, his lip curling with malice. "Potter is to be told that he may return to The Burrow after he has conquered what I see fit to teach him. Working under such terms may encourage him to discipline himself."

"_Return_?" I repeated. "Where exactly are you going to teach him?"

"Headquarters," he answered, sneering slightly. "Dumbledore suggested that Potter come _here_ for the duration, but I would not have it. I will _not_ have a _Potter_ in my home."

"So you'll just go there everyday to teach him then?" I asked, hiding my disappointment at the prospect of even less time to spend with my brother.

He shook his head. "We're temporarily relocating to Grimmauld Place. Potter will be my responsibility for the time I have to teach him. At the moment, no other adult is staying there. The Headmaster sees no problem in taking you with me."

I stared at him. We were going to live at Grimmauld place, possibly for the rest of the summer? Harry's deceased godfather's home? Oh, this did _not_ bode well at all…I had better prepare myself for an irritable Harry, forced to share his godfather's home with his most hated teacher, and an incensed brother, forced to spend his summer teaching his most detested student in the home of one of his enemies. What a lovely little holiday this was going to be…

"I know what you're thinking," said Severus, narrowing his eyes.

"Do you?" I knew he hadn't used Legilimency on me, but then just about anyone would have had the same thoughts when presented with such information.

He nodded. "And I am no happier about it than you are." He sighed, looking weary once more. "I am sorry," he said quietly. "I am afraid this means that you cannot have your friends here next week. We are to leave for Grimmauld Place in a few days."

"That's alright," I said. It was perfectly understandable and I didn't want him to feel guilty. "Dumbledore…" I stopped, feeling like I would be disrespectful saying what I thought.

Severus looked closely at me, his black eyes piercing mine. "Dumbledore what?" he asked quietly.

I considered him for a moment, before deciding to go ahead and express my feelings. "Expects a lot from you," I said softly. "Too much."

He stood up and turned away. "There is much to repay," he shortly. "The fact that I feel overworked shouldn't even come into the equation."

I would have asked why not, but I knew I had already ventured into dangerous territory. I didn't know what made Severus turn to the Light and I didn't think I would ever know. What was important was the fact that he_ had_ made the decision to work for the Order and the good of the wizarding world.

"If there's only going to be the three of us there, what will happen when you get called?" I asked. I thought that was a real concern. He didn't go for weeks on end without seeing the Dark Lord.

"Something else the Headmaster has already considered," he said dismissively, sitting down on my bed again. "Many of the Order members will be on a roster requiring them to be on call in case I am called."

"Oh." I didn't know many members of the Order very well. I supposed Harry might know some of them a little better.

Severus suddenly sneered. "Though I have told Dumbledore that I will need to pre-approve the people he sees fit to stay with you and Potter in my absence. I will _not_ have Mundungus Fletcher be responsible for you."

I had never met Mundungus; I had only heard Merle's less than satisfactory descriptions of his character.

"So will you be teaching Harry all day, every day?" I asked. I was going to have to pack a lot of books to occupy the lonely hours.

"For much of the day," he replied. "It seems that Nymphadora Tonks convinced the Headmaster that I would be ideal for the job. Dumbledore believes Potter to be reckless, just as I do. Keeping him on a strict timetable and in tight reign may relieve the pressure he arrogantly puts on himself to be responsible for everything."

I nodded. Tonks had clearly been affected by Severus' words on the day we went to see her. I hoped that Tonks would steer clear of Severus at the next Order meeting for her own sake.

"The trouble with Grimmauld Place," he went on, looking troubled again, "as you know, is that it's in a London street and doesn't have the warded grounds of this house. That said, you will have to stay indoors the whole time."

I nodded. "What will I do there?"

"Take some books," he said thoughtfully. "You'll have the work I will set you, of course." He sighed, pushing hair from his face. "I would say you could practise cooking, since you've been enjoying it with Docky, but the house elf who lives there is not as…_obliging_…as Docky."

"Oh." I had thought about cooking. I had never been much of a cook, but I had done a lot more of it lately when Severus had been away just because Docky was company. I enjoyed cooking more than I thought I would.

"Then again," he continued, sneering, "Kreacher might not treat you as badly as he does other guests to the house because you're a pureblood."

"Sounds like a nice elf," I muttered.

"I _am_ sorry, Armilla," said Severus sincerely.

"It doesn't matter," I said indifferently. "It could be worse."

"Worse?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "We're spending more time with _Potter_. It doesn't get much worse than _that_."

I smiled. If he was savouring making sarcastic comments against Harry, he must be alright. After all, he didn't have the malevolent glint in his eye he usually got when he was furious with Harry. He'd had it on the night Harry had ventured into one of his memories. That had effectively ended their Occlumency sessions.

A sudden whooshing noise made us look around. A gust of wind had blown one of my music manuscripts off the piano and onto the floor.

"You shouldn't have the window open on such a windy night," said Severus, taking out his wand to close it.

"Don't close it, Morag is out there somewhere," I said.

He looked around at me, frowning. "Didn't you let her out this afternoon? She should have been back by now."

"She did come back," I replied. "She left again not long ago. It seems she was invited out again."

He narrowed his eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"She's out with another owl," I said grimly. "Docky told me his name is Aeolus."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Aeolus rarely comes near the house. It isn't possible that a conceited snob like Morag could have drawn him in."

I smiled. "He sat on that window sill for awhile just watching her. She joined him and then they took off…I haven't seen them since."

"Well, their friendship will be short-lived," he said curtly. "Morag will come with us to Grimmauld Place. She should leave Aeolus alone."

"Why?"

He opened his mouth to reply and then closed it again. He looked uncomfortable.

"Docky said Aeolus was Emiliana McGonagall's owl," I said casually, watching him closely.

"That's true," he said, inclining his head.

"And he came here just after Mother and Emiliana died," I went on. Emiliana had taken the ring Mother's spirit had entered upon her death and had taken it to the Secret Wing at Hogwarts. She had intended to make sure I was alright, but her sudden death at the hands of Death Eaters in Hogsmeade had meant the loss of my identity for the next fourteen years. Severus and I had discovered our relationship shortly after I had found Mother's ring.

He nodded. "Also true." He looked reluctant to give more information, but I was persistent.

"Is there something wrong with Aeolus?"

Severus gave me a slightly exasperated look. "Aeolus is a little…delicate," he said slowly. "It was evident that he had been through some trauma when he arrived here. I thought he would die from shock, but he pulled through. He's never been quite normal though. There are a few insecurity issues; he won't leave the grounds and if he flies too far he becomes very disoriented. He's not very friendly, which I can say must be a result of what he has been through. I remember Aeolus being very different before Emiliana's death."

"What do you think the trauma was?" I asked quietly. I had my own idea, but didn't voice it.

"Witnesses say that there was no sign of an owl near Emiliana on the day she died," he said in a low voice, staring ahead at the wall. "Since determining the nature of Mother's death I can only imagine that Aeolus must have been nearby to that muggle street…close enough to be disturbed by what he witnessed."

He stood up again, suddenly looking irritated. "It's something I should have investigated further at the time and I regret that I didn't. We might have known the truth sooner. As it was back then, there were other issues I was dealing with at that time…Mother's death was another blow to what was already a dire situation."

I dared not ask what the other issues were. Severus was very guarded about his past. It was strange to think of what would have happened if Severus had discovered my existence back then. I might not have known Merle. Fate was a strange thing. It was very likely that Severus would not have raised me himself. After all, when he had first found out that I was his sister last October, he had been initially inclined for me to live with another family. Fate was a strange thing.

"There is no point in dwelling on such things," Severus said, striding over to the open window.

"I know," I said simply. "I was just curious."

He turned and gave me a knowing look. "Naturally," he said dryly. He reached forward and closed the window.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow as he turned back to me. "I thought what I did was clear."

"You know what I mean."

"Ah. Well, I have no intentions of allowing you to cater for that's owl's every whim." He strode back to the bed and sat down, looking quite pleased. "Morag knew she had to stay here, but she chose to leave. Now she can pay the consequences."

I smiled. "I hardly think she'll worry too much about having to stay outside with Aeolus."

"Yes, but this is _Morag_ we're talking about," he said, sneering. "The owl who once refused to eat because she didn't approve of the brand change of her food. I daresay she will want to come back inside because she is a snob."

"It's sort of a test then, isn't it? If she likes Aeolus enough, she'll sacrifice her snobbish ways."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Yes, a tragic love story between owls. What are our lives coming to?"

I smiled as I leaned forward to kiss him goodnight. "She'll probably peck at the window in the middle of the night until I open it," I said, lying down.

Severus took out his wand, pointed it at the window and muttered a silencing charm. "You won't hear a thing now," he said lightly, pocketing his wand. "Morag can stay outside for the night. Poor Aeolus…he's been through enough stress and now he has Morag thrust upon him."

"I think _he_ started it," I said thoughtfully. "Don't blame my owl."

Severus extinguished the lights. "Goodnight Armilla."

o o o o o o o o o o

By midday the next day I was very ready to go back to bed. To my delight, Severus had not been required to be anywhere and so we had spent the morning testing the strength of my mental shield. There would not be a great deal of time to spend developing it further since most of Severus' time would be taken up with Harry.

Morag had returned early that morning and I had let her in. She had seemed in very good spirits. Aeolus had not returned with her, but I had a feeling that I would be seeing him again soon.

Severus and I had spent time duelling as normal; Severus had instructed me to keep the shield up, but he had attacked with much stronger spells than I was used to. I had held most of them off, but tiredness and the repeated shock of strong spells trying to penetrate the shield made it fail after a couple of hours. The result had sent me crashing into a pile of cushions. Severus had conjured them as a precaution before we had started.

I staggered as I got up, hastily trying to restore the shield before he attacked again.

"What made it fail this time?" he asked, lowering his wand.

"Tiredness," I answered honestly. "I know it's not a good excuse."

He shook his head. "We haven't been having the regular practice we had at Hogwarts. If it's possible, we'll try and find half an hour each day to keeping practising. I want you to keep moving forward with this."

"What about Harry?"

He sneered. "I won't be teaching Potter every minute of the day. He will be assigned written work to do as well, which he can complete in his own time."

I nodded slowly. "We can't fully test how strong I can make the shield without casting the Cruciatus curse though."

He frowned. "I have no intentions of casting it. I can only keep casting strong spells repetitively in the hope that your shield will become stronger in its effort to ward them off." He pocketed his wand.

"Can't we keep going?" I asked, feeling disappointed.

He shook his head. "We've done more than enough for one morning. You look like you're about to fall down again."

"I'm _not_," I said crossly, putting my own wand away. I wanted to keep going. If I had not fallen down, we would still be duelling.

"Don't get stroppy, Armilla," he said sternly, narrowing his eyes. "We're not stopping because your shield failed; we're stopping because we've been at it too long."

I nodded, but for some reason I felt annoyed inside. Severus was perfectly right; we _had _been duelling for ages, and not ten minutes ago I had been hoping that we could have a break. I didn't know why I was suddenly feeling so cross. Maybe I was overtired.

"Come," said Severus, gesturing me to follow. "Our lunch should be on the table by now."

We left the room and made our way to the breakfast room where we normally ate. The dining room table was quite large and Severus didn't like eating in the dining room. Sure enough, Docky had left sandwiches sitting on the table for us.

"I had planned to bury Mother's ring on the weekend," Severus began, after taking a drink of water, "but Potter's sudden dominion over our lives means a change of plan is in order. Would you like to bury it this afternoon?"

The annoyance I was feeling inside was suddenly replaced with another feeling I couldn't really identify. I missed Mother; I wished her ring was still working. I could have secretly taken it to Grimmauld Place so I could have someone to talk to while Severus was teaching Harry.

I nodded. "Alright."

"I still wish to bury it on the section of the grounds that was important to Mother," he went on, picking up a roast beef sandwich. "Is that alright with you?"

"Yes."

"We could fly there and then spend this afternoon practising your flying skills again."

I nodded. "Alright."

"Unless you're too tired from this morning…"

"I'm not tired."

"Mm," he said, his expression clearly showing that he disagreed.

"I'm _not_," I insisted.

"I heard you the first time," he said, narrowing his eyes.

I felt cross all over again. "And even if I _was_," I said, "I would want to go flying anyway. It might be the last time this summer."

"Hopefully, it won't be," he said, looking indifferent as he picked up his glass again and took a drink.

His answer made the annoyed feeling rise up inside me. I felt an urge to argue. I wanted to retort that it probably would be, seeing as Harry had failed learning Occlumency, but that answer would not be taken well.

We were silent for a few minutes. I turned my thoughts to the coming week. I shouldn't resent Harry. It was important for him to learn Occlumency and whatever else Severus had to teach him. It wasn't like Harry wanted to. It was ironic that Harry detested spending time with Severus and was being forced to, while I liked spending time with him and was limited.

"I suggest you have a look in the library sometime between now and Sunday so you can pick what to take with you to Grimmauld Place," said Severus, reaching for another sandwich.

"Wouldn't I have to know what essays you're going to set before I can do that?" I asked quietly.

"I meant books for reading pleasure," he said, frowning slightly at he looked at me. "_I'll _pack the ones you'll need for schoolwork."

"Oh."

"What the matter?" Severus asked flatly, fixing his black eyes on mine.

I looked up at him, surprised. "Nothing."

"Indeed," he said, turning back to his meal.

"Why would there be anything wrong?"

"You're insisting that you're not tired," he said simply. "I have never made being tired an offence. You're very clearly tired and crabby in my opinion and your insistence that you're not either means you're overtired or not willing to share something on your mind."

I stared at him, torn between the truth in his words and the itching feeling I had to snap and tell him that he was wrong.

"There's nothing on my mind," I said quietly, looking down at my plate. "And you know I would tell you if there was."

"I do," he said, inclining his head, "if you could explain it. As it is, I would put off burying Mother's ring this afternoon, but I don't want to risk losing more time."

"There's no need to put it off," I said. "I'm not that tired."

He smirked. "I thought you _weren't_ tired."

I didn't answer. Fine, I was tired.

"We won't stay out long flying," he went on. "You might benefit from being outdoors."

I nodded, biting down the urge to argue again. Merlin, I _was_ crabby.

We ate in silence for the rest of the meal. I became lost in my thoughts once more and Severus seemed much the same. He only spoke again when we were getting up from the table.

"Have you been playing the piano recently?" His voice had a stern air about it, which surprised me.

I shook my head. "No."

He folded his arms, looking less than pleased. "Why not?"

"I haven't wanted to," I said simply. I had always loved playing the piano, but it was something I very rarely did now. I had only started playing it again in the last eight months after a long period of not playing at all. Merle's horrible neighbour Shar had turned me off it. Severus seemed to think that playing the piano was a good way to release suppressed emotions. The thought of that made me feel awkward about playing.

"I think you should," he said firmly.

"There's no reason to," I pointed out.

He sighed. "You might just enjoy it," he said, passing me to walk out of the room. As I watched him disappear from sight, a lump formed in my throat…and I didn't know why.

I walked out of the room, intending to take my brother's advice. There were conflicting emotions inside me; the crabby voice was telling me_ not_ to play, while the more positive one said that Severus was probably right and I was just feeling emotional because I knew I wasn't likely to spend much more time alone with him before we went back to school. That must be it.

The doorbell rang as I walked down the corridor, swallowing the growing lump in my throat. I reached the entrance hall and found Severus standing there, looking in the direction of the corridor leading to the front door. I could hear Docky's voice.

"Docky is pleased to see Professor Dumbledore, sir."

Docky came into the entrance hall, closely followed by the headmaster, wearing robes of deep purple with little silver stars on the hems. He looked less spirited than usual, though that could have been put down to the weight of the Order work he was involved in. I suddenly felt guilty for being forlorn over seeing less of my brother.

"Ah, Severus, Armilla," he said, inclining his head. "I am sorry to intrude upon you again, seeing as I was only here yesterday."

"Not at all," said Severus, his face expressionless. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I have news," said Dumbledore. "I think it would be best to sit down so we can discuss it."

Severus turned to me. "Armilla, perhaps you should take me up on that advice whilst I speak with the Headmaster."

I nodded, turning towards the stairs.

"Actually, I think Armilla should join us, Severus," said Dumbledore, his own expressionless face giving nothing away.

I paused. Severus was looking dubiously at Dumbledore. "Headmaster, I do not-"

"It is not Order related business, Severus," Dumbledore interrupted. He held an arm up in the direction of the drawing room. "Shall we?"

Severus nodded curtly, looking less than impressed. He then turned to Docky. "Docky, please bring some of the Elf Made wine and something for Armilla to the drawing room."

Docky bowed and disappeared in the direction of the kitchen.

I followed Severus and Dumbledore into the drawing room.

"I presume you have informed Armilla about your impending relocation?" Dumbledore asked Severus, as we sat down. I sat with my brother on the sofa while Dumbledore settled himself in an armchair near Severus.

Severus nodded. "I have."

Dumbledore looked at me, his blue eyes piercing mine. "I am sorry to have your holidays disrupted like this, Armilla," he said sincerely. "I am sure you understand that it is a necessity."

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

Dumbledore leaned back and the sleeve of his robes moved to reveal a blackened, shrivelled hand. It looked like it had been horribly burned. I realised I had been staring and looked away, but Dumbledore had noticed.

"Nothing to worry about, Armilla," he said kindly, shaking the sleeve to cover his hand once more. "I've grown rather used to it. The timely action of your dear brother stopped it spreading too rapidly. I daresay Severus hasn't mentioned this to you?"

"No, sir," I said quietly.

"I did not think to mention it," said Severus quietly.

"Understandable," said Dumbledore, inclining his head as Docky appeared with the drinks. After he had left, Severus spoke.

"What is this news, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore put his goblet down, looking grave. "You mentioned burying Hazel's ring recently, Severus."

Severus nodded. "We were planning on doing it this afternoon."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I would cancel that."

Severus put his own glass down now. "The reason being?" he said, his eyes narrowing.

Dumbledore looked at me for a moment before turning his eyes back to my brother. "Your mother's body has been discovered."

o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Yes, I know, a cliff-hanger! Please be so kind as to leave a review.


	5. Violets and Daffodils

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

**Chapter 5**

Mother's _body_? A strange, chilling sensation swept through me upon registering these words. Dumbledore's announcement was met with silence from both Severus and I. I was wondering if I had misheard; perhaps Severus' silence meant that he was thinking the same thing.

"There is no mistake," Dumbledore went on, his eyes moving to me and then back to my brother. "I identified the body myself."

Finally, Severus spoke. "How?" he said softly. "How is it possible?"

Dumbledore looked at him gravely. "The condition of Hazel's body makes it appear that her death occurred only a short time ago. We, of course, know better."

Severus nodded curtly. "Yes, seeing as I received notice from the Ministry fifteen years ago informing me that she was dead; her property was magically transferred into my ownership. That can only happen upon death." He frowned. "She couldn't have been fooling the Ministry all this time."

"No," Dumbledore agreed. "I don't believe she was. I believe the body appeared at the same moment that her spirit left the ring in June."

This brought me out of my silence. "So where would her body have been all this time? Some sort of limbo?"

"A sort of magical limbo it would seem," Dumbledore replied, his blue eyes fixed on mine, "controlled by the magic of the ring your mother's spirit inhabited for so long."

Severus sighed. "I assume Mother had no idea that her body would reappear. She told us that her body simply vanished upon her death. I suppose she thought it was gone for good."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "You did say, Severus, that Hazel admitted to not carrying out thorough research on the ring."

Severus nodded, his face paler than usual. "She wasn't aware of all the magical properties it entailed. I carried out tests myself after her spirit vacated it, but nothing of significance came up."

"Where was she found?" I asked quietly.

Dumbledore looked back to me again. "The same place she died," he said softly. " Nottingham. Her body was found not ten metres from the spot where you were found as a baby."

Though this seemed logical to me, I couldn't help the eerie feeling that started to build up inside me. It was weird to think that Mother's body had turned up in the spot where she had died. I had never been back to the area where I was born. The idea of going there had always seemed creepy to me. Mother had gone into hiding in a muggle-populated area when she had been pregnant with me. As Secret Keeper, Emiliana McGonagall had been the only one who had known our location.

"Why has it taken all this time for us to know about this?" Severus asked, frowning. "Mother's spirit was released about a month ago. Surely someone would have spotted the body fairly quickly. The massacre happened in a muggle street after all."

"Yes, the street was in ruins after the Death Eater attack that resulted in Hazel's death," said Dumbledore, nodding at my brother. "However, with the protection of Hazel's bracelet, Armilla was the only resident who survived. The people who inherited the ruined properties of their deceased relatives viewed the street in a negative light from thereon, particularly because the muggles authorities could not explain how the incident occurred. No one wanted to rebuild there. As such, I have learned that the local council ended up purchasing every property on that street. The ruins were cleared away, but even the council never planned to put it to use. To this day it remains unused, full of wild plants and trees." Dumbledore sighed. "The local community seem to have run away with their superstitions. They won't go near the street; it seems to have earned itself a reputation for causing bad luck to those who step on that street."

This piece of news greatly unsettled me. It was disturbing to think that stepping onto the street that had been my very first home was now considered a bad omen. I supposed I couldn't really blame the muggles for thinking along such lines; their ignorance of the existence of magic would naturally have caused them to be very disconcerted at not being able to explain how the massacre occurred.

"Apparently," Dumbledore went on, "the only people brave enough to venture into the street are generally the more exuberant muggle teenagers, pressured into accepting dares from their peers."

"Naturally," Severus scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Dumbledore inclined his head. "It was fortunate that last week a couple of vulnerable young lads accepted the dare and ventured into the so-called dangers Riverwood Street had to offer."

"And so their juvenile little jaunt gave them quite a result," said Severus dryly.

"So it would seem." Dumbledore paused for a moment, his eyes locked with my brother's. "At least they were sensible enough to report what they had seen. A search for a missing person yielded no results, which is quite understandable considering that the person they found had died fifteen years earlier."

"I assume the Ministry became involved at this point?" said Severus, his gaze still firmly on Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, well you are aware that the Ministry always investigates suspicious muggle cases for evidence of the misuse of magic. The Ministry immediately found evidence that the person had ties to the wizarding world."

"She wasn't sporting muggle attire?" said Severus dryly, raising an eyebrow. "I doubt she would have worn muggle clothes, even in the presence of muggles."

"Yes, I remember," said Dumbledore, chuckling a little. His smile reached his eyes, and there was no sign of the grave expression he had been wearing. This was the Dumbledore I was used to. "Hazel's abhorrence was not for muggles, but for the fashion of muggle ladies."

The tiniest smile appeared on my brother's lips.

"However," Dumbledore went on, looking serious once more, "the evidence was not merely from Hazel's attire. A silver oval locket was found in an inside pocket. It had a photo of Emiliana McGonagall on the inside. The back of the photo clearly states her name. Naturally, the Ministry thought to alert Minerva McGonagall for further investigation. Realising who it really was, Minerva came to me early this morning for advice on the matter. She didn't tell the Ministry that she knew who it was because there would be more investigation into how the body of a woman who died fifteen years ago could suddenly reappear."

Severus nodded. "I am thankful she thought along those lines."

Dumbledore's lips twitched. "Yes, it would seem _some_ Gryffindors do consider the repercussions when considering their next move, Severus."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "Pity it's such a small minority."

"It was quite a feat," Dumbledore went on, politely ignoring the slight against his House, "but I managed to remove the body from the Ministry, as well as any trace of the case in both the wizarding and muggle worlds. The body is currently in the Secret Wing at Hogwarts. Identifying the body as Hazel Snape would have brought on a full Ministry inquiry, not to mention a great deal of unwanted media attention."

"Indeed," Severus murmured, frowning slightly. He met Dumbledore's eye. "It was quite a feat to remove all traces of the case," he said quietly, "one that must have taken a great deal of trouble. Thankyou."

Dumbledore held a hand up. "It was the only thing to be done. Hazel went through enough during her life; it certainly wouldn't do to put this in the spotlight." He paused and looked at each of us in turn. "Hazel deserves to be laid to rest in the home she loved, away from Aurelius, away from the nosy public eye."

"And so she will be," said Severus. "I would have it no other way."

Laid to rest. Those words made me uneasy inside. Before, we had only been planning on burying the ring Mother's spirit had inhabited; now we were actually going to bury _Mother_. I didn't remember Mother when she had been alive; I only knew her personality from the spirit in the ring I had become acquainted with. Even so, the thought of burying her body renewed the sense of loss, if indeed it could be called that, I had felt upon the departure of her spirit.

Dumbledore nodded. "It is up to the two of you, of course, if you want a proper, private funeral, considering Hazel didn't receive one the first time."

Severus shifted slightly. "I don't know, a full funeral for someone who died so long ago? I think I would rather have a small, short ceremony with few people present; the less people who know about this the better."

Dumbledore addressed me next. "What say you, Armilla? It is your mother too, of course."

I had been fairly quiet for the past few minutes. The idea that mother's body was actually being back in existence greatly disturbed me. Having a proper funeral unsettled me further. I missed the spirit version of my mother. It would be strange to say goodbye to the actual form of my mother, the one I had last been in contact with on the day she died. I had been to a funeral less than a year ago. Merle's funeral had been hard enough. I never thought that I would have to go to another for my real mother.

These thoughts made me feel a little selfish. My mother had been a good, kind woman; she deserved our acknowledgement of that in a decent funeral. But then, I had the impression that Mother had been the sort of person who preferred minimal fuss in everything. I didn't think she would want a lavish funeral, no matter how small.

"Armilla?" Severus said, looking closely at me. I realised that I had been taking too long to answer the Headmaster's question.

"Something small," I said quietly. "As few people as possible." It didn't matter that Severus and I didn't want a crowd of people there. It wasn't the number of people in attendance that determined a person's worth.

Dumbledore nodded, turning back to Severus. "As you wish. I assume you will bury her in the same place you planned on burying the ring?"

Severus nodded. "We will do it as soon as possible." He sneered. "After all, we can't put _Potter_ off too long, can we?"

Dumbledore frowned. "Severus, you and Armilla will naturally need time-"

"With all due respect, Headmaster," Severus interrupted. "This is not quite the normal grieving experience. Mother died a long time ago. Armilla and I saw her spirit leave the ring last month. Though the reappearance of her body was most unexpected, I do not want to put a halt on our lives so that we may grieve for a third time. I feel that it is quite unnecessary and I am sure Mother would too." He gave Dumbledore a significant look and Dumbledore didn't push the subject further.

"Very well, Severus. When would you like to have the ceremony?"

"Sunday," Severus answered, "in the afternoon. Then Armilla and I shall come to Grimmauld Place on Monday morning as planned."

"Sunday afternoon is fine," said Dumbledore, nodding in agreement. "But I must object to you coming to London on Monday. You will come on Tuesday."

Severus looked irritated. "Headmaster, there is no need to-"

"_No_, Severus," said Dumbledore firmly. "You will come on Tuesday. I merely ask that you come a day later in some effort to make amends to Armilla. It is my hope that you will not be called on Monday and so you may spend the day with your sister."

Severus considered this, still frowning at Dumbledore. He didn't like to think that the Headmaster was giving him time for emotional reasons. It was tactful on Dumbledore's part to use me as the reason. After all, if Mother's body hadn't been found, I wouldn't be getting this extra day with my brother. It was expected that I would accept the fact that Severus was needed for Order business, and I did. I was not about to put myself before the Order's needs.

"Very well," said Severus finally, not looking at me. "Tuesday then."

Dumbledore nodded his approval and stood up. "I will leave you two alone," he said. He looked down at my brother. "I shall arrange it myself to bring Hazel's body here on Sunday."

Severus nodded, as we stood up too. "I would like to come to Hogwarts beforehand, Headmaster."

I looked over at him. I understood his disguised request to go to Hogwarts. He wanted to see Mother's body.

Dumbledore nodded again. "I thought you might. I shall carry out the necessary procedures beforehand. When shall I expect you?"

"First thing in the morning." he answered.

"I shall meet you in the Secret Wing then," the Headmaster said, extending his hand to shake my brother's. "I am sorry to be the bearer of such troubling news." He turned and held his hand out to shake mine. "I shall see you on Sunday, Armilla, if your brother will permit my attendance."

Severus inclined his head. "Naturally."

I disguised my annoyance at Dumbledore's words. He said he would see me on Sunday. Was he assuming that I would not go with Severus to Hogwarts in the morning? She was _my_ mother too.

"I'll show myself out." With that, we watched as Dumbledore swept from the room. A moment later we heard Docky's voice out in the hall, bidding the Headmaster farewell.

"Well, there's a piece of news," said Severus dryly, sitting down heavily.

I sat back down next to him, offering no comment. I was still comprehending the whole conversation that had just passed. It was as if Mother's death had come about in three stages.

"One thing after another, isn't it?" he said, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose."

"Yes." I couldn't disagree with that. A lot had happened in our lives in the last year. This time last year, Merle had been dreadfully ill. That had only been the beginning of what was to be an extremely challenging and emotional year. I didn't want to think about Merle and I didn't really want to think about Mother either. Usually thinking of them didn't really bother me. I had accepted Merle's death…as well as I could anyway. Maybe it was this new piece of news that made it harder to think of Merle.

Severus opened his eyes and looked over at me. "You have no objection to burying Mother sooner than later?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. What about the ring?"

"What about it?"

"It's still significant I think," I said quietly, "even if there _is_ a body to bury now. Can't we bury it with her?"

Severus looked closely at me, his face expressionless. "Of course," he answered. "I do not believe the ring has lost any of its significance in light of this new discovery. It has been our key to communicating with Mother; we shall not treat it lightly."

I nodded. He understood my attachment to the ring then.

"You're going by yourself tomorrow," I said simply. It wasn't really a question.

He frowned. "You resent this?"

"I don't know," I said quietly. I didn't know if I actually wanted to see Mother's body. Perhaps being given the choice to would have made a difference.

"I would rather that you _didn't_ see her body," Severus said quietly. "Though you have no memory of her in humane form, I think seeing her body would distort what memories you have of her spiritual existence."

I frowned. "Wouldn't it distort your memories of her?"

His expression gave nothing away. "I don't believe so."

"I don't think it would make a difference to me," I said honestly. After all, I had been with Merle when she died. I _had_ seen death.

Severus seemed to guess what I was thinking. "This is different, Armilla. Mother's body reappeared awhile ago now. As he said, Dumbledore will carry out the necessary procedures, but it still may be disturbing for you to see."

I knew what the necessary procedures were. There were spells that were used to make the deceased look like they were merely sleeping. They were temporary spells, designed to wear off after burial. Such spells had been carried out for centuries, particularly in cultures that displayed their deceased relatives in the family home in the days leading up to the funeral. Having been exposed to the elements for a significant portion of time, Mother's body would not really be in the best state. As he said, Dumbledore would carry out the spells to remedy this, but it might not be as effective as when used on someone who had just died.

"I've never seen her," I stated, still not entirely sure what I really wanted to do. Did I really want to see my mother's dead body? A part of me did; I hadn't been near her in so long. I didn't _remember_ being near her. "At least," I murmured, "I don't remember seeing her."

"Seeing her in death will not justify the memories of her you deserve to have," Severus reasoned. "I understand that you have just as much right to see her, but I'd advise you to think better of it."

I looked at him in surprise. "You're not saying _no_ then?"

He sighed. "As I said, you do have the right to see her…I would rather that you didn't though."

"You want to see her though," I said.

He nodded. "I feel a need to…an unexplainable need."

I looked down at my hands, my mind buzzing as it considered all the reasons for and against going to see Mother. A moment later, my brother's hand closed over mine.

"I've given you my opinion on the matter," he said quietly. "You don't need to make a decision now. If you are still uncertain in the morning, you may accompany me to Hogwarts and wait outside if you decide against it."

I nodded, leaning in as he held out his arms to hug me. "Mother wouldn't judge you either way," he whispered in my ear. "If you decide to go, let it be for _you_ only."

o o o o o o o o o o o

I stifled a yawn as Severus and I made our way towards the front door of the castle the next morning. I had barely slept the night before, simply unable to make a decision. Severus had offered no more advice on the matter; perhaps he didn't want to influence my decision any further; I knew he didn't wish for me to see the body.

I had gotten up early that morning, feeling a bit grumpier than I had been the day before. I hadn't made a decision by the time Severus was due to leave, so I accompanied him to Hogwarts. I wanted to make a decision once I was there in the Secret Wing. Though we were on our way to do something morbid, my slightly irritable spirits had lifted at having the opportunity to leave the house for an outing with Severus. It would probably be one of the last times that summer.

I smiled as I looked up at the castle. I always adored seeing Hogwarts again. Though the place was huge and was full of draughty corridors, I still associated a homely, comfortable feeling with it. My living arrangements with Severus in the dungeons had made me reassess my thorough dislike of that part of the castle.

We entered the castle and made our way to our quarters in the dungeons. Severus performed the charm that made one of the bookcases vanish to reveal an opening to the wing. We followed it and before long we were in the familiar corridor outside the room I had stayed in the previous October after Merle's death.

We followed the passage and made a number of turns into separate corridors. I vaguely remembered following this path when I had secretly visited Mother's ring. The visits had stopped after Severus had caught me.

I was a little surprised that we ended up outside the very same room in which I had first discovered Mother's ring. Dumbledore was waiting outside the door, wearing robes of dull silver with maroon trimmings. If he was surprised to see me, he certainly didn't show it.

"Good morning Severus, Armilla," he said, nodding at each of us. He turned to Severus. "I have done all that is necessary, but she may not appear exactly as you remember her."

Severus' face remained expressionless. "I did not expect that she would be exactly the same, Headmaster."

"I shall leave you to it then," said Dumbledore, taking out an unusual watch from an inside pocket of his robes. He glanced at it before putting it away. "Take as much time as you need. I am off to meet with Hagrid; so I will be out on the grounds if you need me; otherwise, I shall see you both on Sunday."

"Yes," said Severus. "Thankyou."

We were left alone, and as Dumbledore's footsteps faded away, Severus turned to me.

"What is your decision, Armilla?"

I looked at the closed oak door, subconsciously waiting for it to miraculously provide an answer.

"Would you like me to go in and assess the situation first?" he offered.

I shook my head. My answer had come from no where, but I knew what I wanted to do. "No," I said decidedly, "I want to see her."

I waited for my brother to ask me if I was sure, but he simply nodded and pushed open the door. He stood back, allowing me to enter before he did.

I slowly walked in, a slight feeling of trepidation circling through me. My eyes were immediately drawn to the centre of the room, where an ornate chaise lounge was positioned. Upon it was a woman with a _very_ familiar face. Mother.

My focus remained upon her face as I edged further into the dim room. Unlike Merle when she had died, Mother did _not_ look as if she was merely sleeping; the colour of her skin portrayed that any sign of life had long since vanished. However sunken her face appeared, it not deter from her peaceful expression. She was not smiling, but then she was not frowning either. Her long brown hair, significantly lighter than mine and Severus', was not shiny and thick, as it had been in the ring. Even so, she still seemed beautiful to me. Here was my mother. She was lovely.

Severus hadn't made a sound, but I knew he was close by. I wondered what thoughts were running through his head. Was he thinking too that Mother was beautiful? Was he thinking about when she had been alive? A pang came in my heart. _I_ couldn't do that. I didn't remember.

Having only studied her face thus far, I turned my gaze away to look at the rest of her. She was wearing blue and silver robes, very new, clearly not what she would have been wearing when she had died. I thought her robes for quite suitable for a former Ravenclaw.

Her hands rested one on top of the other just below her chest. She had long, slender fingers, just like Severus and I. I hadn't seen her fingers in the ring. I smiled at having learnt something new about her.

Severus stepped closer and I followed behind. As I did so, a flowery scent reached me. I looked to my left and saw a large wreath of violets and daffodils on a table nearby. I stared at it, shock registering through me at the sight of it. Violets and daffodils?

"Armilla," I heard my brother's voice say quietly.

"Yes?" I whispered, still staring at the flowers. I noticed that one of the violets had fallen to the floor. A daffodil was hanging out from the wreath; the slightest nudge would make it come loose and fall as well.

"Armilla," Severus repeated. I broke my gaze on the wreath and looked up at my brother. "Come here."

Pushing away the uncomfortable lump that had formed inside me from the sight of the wreath, I stepped closer so that I was at Severus' side. I was now merely inches away from Mother. I was surprised that being this close to my mother, who had died fifteen years ago, didn't make me as anxious as I had thought it would; rather, it felt right…in an odd way.

Severus reached out and touched Mother's right ankle. "See that mark?" he said softly, pointing at a tiny, wriggly mark. "That's a birthmark. She said that her mother had had the same mark on her right ankle."

I frowned. "I don't have a birthmark."

He smirked. "You have her bracelet. Let _me_ claim the right to inheriting something from Mother's side."

I smiled up at him. "You have the same mark?"

He nodded. He reached out and picked up Mother's left hand. He absently stroked it with his thumb.

"Was Mother left-handed?" I asked. I was looking for things that I shared with her.

Again, he nodded.

"Left-handed women are more likely to have left-handed children than right-handed women," I said quietly.

Severus looked amused. "That's useful information, Armilla."

I smiled again.

"How do you feel?" he asked, looking serious once more.

"Okay, I suppose," I said, gazing at Mother's hand, which was still in my brother's. "I'm glad I came."

He nodded. "Then I am glad."

I looked over at the wreath again. The sight of it brought tears to my eyes, especially the sight of the loose daffodil and the violet on the floor.

"Did you want to take her other hand?" Severus asked. I turned to see that his gaze was focused on Mother's face. Thankfully he hadn't seen my face.

I blinked back the tears and looked at Mother's other hand. I had restrained from touching her so far. Perhaps it was due to a silly desire to pretend that it would feel warm if I touched it.

"You don't have to," he said softly.

I looked at Mother's other hand, which Severus was still absently stroking. "Isn't it cold?" I whispered.

He looked away from Mother and focused upon me instead. "It was," he answered. "It's a little warmer now since I have been holding it."

I reached and took hold of Mother's right hand. It was very cold, but I didn't loosen my hold of it. It was nice to feel her hand in mine. I placed my other hand on top, hoping it would create some warmth.

"You know, if her spirit could talk right now, she'd tell us to get on with it and bury her," said Severus. "She'd think being placed in a room like this was pretentious."

I smiled. "I don't know if that would be the _first_ thing she's say."

"No, you're probably right," he agreed, sneering slightly. "She'd make some comment about my marital status first."

I laughed. "At which point you'd make a sarcastic or scathing comment. Then she would glare at you and tell you not to be impertinent."

"You knew her well then," he said.

I looked down at her peaceful face again. "I'm glad I had the opportunity to, however strange it was."

When I had been very little, I had often asked Merle what sort of person she thought my mother might have been. Merle had always said that since no one had any idea, I was free to imagine my own idea. I had never imagined a face in a ring, but I had imagined many of the traits that Mother really had. I had never lingered on it long; I had always created a notion in my head that was very close to Merle's personality. Merle had been my mother in those days. My eyes lingered on the daffodil that had come loose on the wreath.

"A strange combination of flowers," Severus commented, following my gaze. "I understand the reason for the violets, but the _daffodils_?"

We both knew that violets had been Mother's favourite flower.

"Would Dumbledore have chosen those flowers specifically?" I asked, looking from the daffodil to Severus, "or was it a charm performed for what suited?"

There was a charm for arranging flowers for the dead; it had been used for Merle's funeral. The wand produced flowers that had either been preferred by the deceased person or contained some symbolic meaning to the family.

"I would say it was the charm," he answered. "Why do you ask?"

"It's an unusual combination," I said quietly. I placed Mother's hand back, walked to the wreath and reached for the daffodil that had come loose. I stared at it in my hand for a few seconds before bending down to pick up the violet on the floor.

"I want to go to see Merle," I said quietly.

Whatever he had expected me to say, it certainly wasn't that. Severus looked incredulously at me. "You _never_ like going to the cemetery, Armilla," he said, looking closely at me, as if wondering if it was really me. "It's a struggle to convince you to go and you don't like being there when you are."

"I know," I said distractedly, looking back down at the flowers, "but I want to go. I haven't put flowers down there."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure Merle would have overlooked not having put flowers on her grave. However, if you wish to go, we shall." He folded his arms looked expectantly at me, which was my cue to cease my annoying vagueness and explain myself.

"At Merle's funeral," I said slowly, looking up from the two flowers in my hand, "The same charm was performed and Merle had the same floral wreath."

Severus frowned. "That's interesting."

I nodded. "Merle's favourite flower was the daffodil, so I understood why daffodils were in the wreath." I looked down at the violet in my hand. I hadn't known I was related to Severus at the time Merle had died. "I had wondered why the violet was paired with it."

Severus was silent. His eyes were now fixed on the two flowers in my hand.

"I had thought it was a strange combination at the time," I went on, "but seeing it again now seems like more than a coincidence." He looked up and I met his gaze. "Don't you think so?"

He considered me for a moment before answering. "It would seem so," he said slowly. "Magic is so multilayered and complex. It is like the brain in many ways; we like to think that we control our thoughts, but at the same time our thoughts are controlled by our minds in dreams. We learn to control our magic, but often our own magic knows more than our minds realise. Though magic can be controlled to distort the truth, it can be relied on to reveal the truth in an uncontrolled sense."

He paused to let me sink this in. He had reverted into full professor-lecture mode. "Take your Patronus for example," he continued, his black eyes fixed on mine. "Though you cast the spell, you cannot control the form it will take because your magic knows you well enough to form the shape for you. Sometimes people are surprised by the form their Patronus' take; their magic knows them better than they do." He inclined his head. "In this case, as I said, the charm used to conjure the flowers assesses what was important to that person and anything else symbolic. Your own magic knew who your mother was, but it also recognised that you had another mother. This has been expressed in both wreaths."

"But why would the wreaths take on something symbolic to _me_?" I asked. "Mother died not knowing Merle and Merle died not knowing Mother. A daffodil would mean nothing to Mother, just as a violet would mean nothing to Merle."

"Ah," he said, smiling slightly at my willingness to find flaws in the charm. "But you need to take into consideration what was important to these women. Mother died worrying that you would be left to fend for yourself. You know that; you discovered this worry of hers when you met her spirit form. And who put that worry to an end?"

"Merle," I answered.

"Indeed," he said, gesturing to the wreath. "All this time later, the charm has recognised who put an end to the worry. As for Merle, magic reveals the truth in its own uncontrolled sense; it knew who your mother was, hence the presence of the violets at Merle's funeral. Merle had died hoping that you would find out your identity one day."

I shook my head. "It's so complicated."

"Certainly," he said, placing Mother's hand back upon the other. "That's what I love about magic. There's never an end to interpreting it and developing it." He moved towards the wreath. I joined him to have a closer look at it. The daffodils and violets were entwined together and though unusual, looked rather effective. Something bright that I hadn't noticed earlier suddenly caught my eye. A different flower was sitting between a daffodil and a violet; a single white lily, just starting to bloom.

"Look at that," I said quietly, pointing it out to my brother. "A lily."

He nodded, his eyes fixed intensely on it, but said nothing.

As he had just said, magical was open to interpretation. The presence of the lily could mean many things, but I believed I knew exactly what it meant.

"I presume you would like to take those flowers to Merle?" asked Severus, nodding down at the two flowers in my hand.

I nodded. "Mother wouldn't mind, would she? They're her flowers after all."

He shook his head. "I'm sure, could she speak, she would have suggested it herself."

He moved back over to Mother and I followed. We stood in silence for a moment, just watching her, taking in every last detail. Finally, Severus bent down and kissed Mother's cheek. With the flowers still in my hand, I moved forward and did the same.

o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Thanks for reading. Please be so kind as to leave a comment.


	6. The Stone Bench

**Chapter 6**

I was not sure of what I was supposed to feel after such an experience. Seeing the body of one's mother was, I supposed, never meant to cause an abundance of warmth and security. At the same time, when Severus and I finally left Mother's room, I didn't feel like I had been robbed of her. I didn't feel the loss to the extent that I had when her spirit had left the ring. I believed my feelings were somewhere in the middle, but I couldn't identify them. Perhaps I was numb.

We went to the cemetery without further discussion. I held the daffodil and violet tightly in my hand as I led the way to Merle's grave. I had visited Merle's grave with Severus more than once since she had died, but only at my brother's insistence. I had never wanted to come. I had never felt quite right standing in front of Merle's grave. I didn't think anything would change today, but seeing the violet and daffodil wreath in Mother's room had sent a jolt through me and I felt it was only right to come.

"I don't want to stay very long," I said over my shoulder to Severus, who was a few steps behind me.

"Naturally," he said dryly. "You never do."

I had accepted the loss of Merle awhile ago, but I was never comfortable seeing her grave. I preferred to believe that Merle had gone on a permanent trip where I couldn't follow, rather than stand in a place where her body was actually six feet below. The notion made me uncomfortable. Severus and I had talked about the existence of an afterlife of sorts, but to me that didn't excuse the presence of Merle's body on Earth.

I found the grave a moment later and came to a stop in front of it, looking at the headstone.

_Merle Gladys Kemp_

_31st August, 1914_ – _17__th__ October 1995_

"_What's this then? Come to see me, have you?"_ I smiled as I imagined Merle's voice in my head. "_It's chilly out here, dear, where's your hat? A proper witch never leaves the house without her hat. You young ones don't seem to feel the cold."_

I felt warm at being able to imagine the exact sound of her voice. I always worried that as years passed, I might forget the exact sound of her voice, her laugh, her scent… but at the moment I could hear it quite clearly in my mind, as if she was standing right beside me. It was hard to believe that over nine months had passed since I had last spoken to her. But then, it was hard to believe that it was almost nine months since Severus and I had discovered we were brother and sister.

"Are you glad you came?" Severus asked quietly. "It's been a bit of a sombre day."

"I am," I said honestly, looking down at the flowers in my hand. I bent down and placed them at the foot of the grave. As I straightened up, a horrible thought entered my mind. I turned to Severus.

"Do you think Shar ever comes here?" I asked, trepidation spreading through me. Shar had been Merle's squib neighbour. He had loved Merle, but had not liked me at all. In a twisted sort of way, if it hadn't been for Shar's attack shortly after Merle's death last year, I wouldn't have discovered Mother's ring and I certainly would not have been standing in front of Merle's grave with Severus Snape right now. Fate was a strange thing indeed. "He'd be out of Azkaban by now, wouldn't he?"

Severus did not look at all concerned. "He's no longer in prison," he said, "but I assure you, he doesn't come _here_." The confident and all knowing air of my brother seemed even more pronounced than usual.

"You keep track of where he is," I stated. It certainly wasn't a question. I wondered why I hadn't thought to ask before. Severus had assured me months ago that Shar would not come near me again. But Shar had been in Azkaban then and I hadn't worried.

He nodded. "Of course I do. I paid him a visit when Azkaban set him free."

I stared at him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I try not to make talking about Shar a habit," he answered. "That repulsive fool deserves no such attention."

"Does he still live next door to Merle's house?" I asked. I surprised myself as I said this. _Merle's_ house? It had always been _our _or _my_ house. But then, I didn't think of it as home anymore. My home was the Merrigan Estate.

He shook his head, sneering slightly. "No, he had always rented that property. His lack of magic has never helped him much financially, so he hasn't a cent to his name. He's residing somewhere else now."

"He's still in the country then," I murmured, looking back at the gravestone.

"Yes, he's still in England," Severus admitted, "but he wouldn't dare attempt to come here or bother you in any way. I've made sure of that." He gave me a dark smile. "He will follow my orders or face _dire_ consequences."

I smiled up at him. "You're very useful."

"So I've been told," he said dryly.

o o o o o o o o o

The mood in the house on Sunday morning was nothing short of irritable. Mother's impending funeral that afternoon had caused the atmosphere to be at an all time low. Even Docky wasn't his usual, bouncing self. After breakfast I heard him singing to himself in the kitchen. Usually he sang merry, silly tunes like _Ode to a Toadstool_ and _The Wizard Who Couldn't Grow a Beard _until Severus snapped at him to "cease his infernal racket". Today, however, he seemed to be singing a rather depressing, slow song.

Severus wasn't there to tell him to knock it off; after coming to breakfast in a dark mood, he had disappeared into one of the greenhouses. Though I wanted his company, I decided to let him be and instead chose to amuse myself in my bedroom. I still hadn't been near the piano, though Severus had virtually insisted on my playing it a couple of days before to rid me of my grouchy mood.

Entering my bedroom, I was not surprised to notice that Morag was nowhere to be seen; she had gone outside with Aeolus again. They seemed to have become firm friends.

I sat down at the piano and looked through my music books. I had one of Mother's there too, which contained her favourite songs, but I chose not to play them. Instead, I went through my books looking for more cheerful songs that weren't likely to leave me more depressed. I found _Zadok the Priest_ and settled on that. The tune was so upbeat that it couldn't possibly let dismal thoughts enter my mind. The music was also a little more challenging to play, which meant my concentration would be thoroughly engaged for the duration of the song.

I played it through a couple of times and was surprised that I felt a lot more cheerful when I finally got up from the piano. I felt cheerful enough to entertain the thought of joining my currently short-tempered brother in the greenhouse. I didn't really feel like pruning, planting or whatever he was doing, but I wanted his company, and I knew that the coming days would mean that I would be deprived of it. We were leaving for Grimmauld Place in two days. I supposed that meant that Severus' mood was not likely to improve much, seeing as he was being forced to live in Sirius Black's house and teach his most detested student, Harry Potter.

Thinking along these lines slowed my steps, but I was determined to join Severus all the same. What I really wanted was to go flying. We had planned on flying on Friday afternoon, but that had been cancelled when Dumbledore had come to give the news that Mother's body had been found.

I checked two greenhouses before finding Severus in the third. He was sitting at a long wooden table, bent over a strange looking plant with dark purple leaves. It looked like he was dissecting the berries it grew. He looked up briefly when he heard me come in.

"I was just about to come and find you," he murmured, his face full of concentration as he carefully extracted pale blue juice from the berry.

"Why?" I asked, sitting down beside him.

He put a stopper on the small flask he had just filled. "To talk to you about this afternoon," he answered. He pushed a couple of gurdyroots towards me. "Chop them, please."

Complying, I started chopping, waiting for him to continue. He didn't seem as ill-tempered as he had earlier; perhaps doing this sort of work soothed him in the same way that music soothed me.

"I received an owl from Dumbledore just after breakfast," he said, reaching for another berry. "Minerva McGonagall has expressed a wish to attend this afternoon. I believe she wants to attend on Emiliana's behalf seeing as she did so much for Mother before her death."

I nodded. I had no problem with that. I was anticipating that the ceremony that afternoon was going to be uncomfortable. Professor McGonagall's presence wouldn't make it any worse. I understood her desire to come.

"I wanted to go over with you the proceedings for this afternoon," he went on. "Was Merle's funeral the first you had been to?"

"Yes," I answered, pausing my chopping to look over at my brother.

"Wizarding funerals differ according to the background of the family," he said. "There are differences in customs according to family and cultural traditions. The ceremonies for muggle borns and half bloods are often different to pureblood ceremonies because they have adopted some muggle customs. I just wanted to be sure that you would be prepared for this afternoon. What happened at Merle's funeral?"

"It was very small," I said distractedly, turning back to the gurdyroots. "A wizard got up and said a few things and then Matilda spoke about her. After that a white flame erupted around her body and the gravestone appeared." I paused, reliving the experience in my mind. "Matilda said that her body had been magically sent below it." When I realised that the hand with which I was holding the knife had started to shake, I put it down. Thankfully, I didn't think Severus had noticed; he was still concentrating on extracting juice from the berry.

"That sounds very much like what you can expect today," he said. "It will be very short; I have no wish to carry out a full funeral service now; Mother would not expect it either."

I nodded, picking up the knife again. I hoped the ceremony would be extremely short. I had hoped that Merle's funeral would be the last one I would attend for awhile.

"Have you heard any news of Father?" I asked suddenly. Thinking about Mother and the challenging life she led ultimately brought my thoughts to my horrid father. As far as I knew, he was still in hiding with my old governess, Zita Rougier.

Severus cast me a fleeting look before putting a stopper in the second flask. "Nothing has changed," he answered, pushing the flask away. "No one knows of his whereabouts. As much as that unsettles me, if it keeps him away from interfering in our lives then it is a blessing of sorts." He had a grim smile as he cast a cleaning charm on the table. "Seeing as he no longer has any legal rights to you, it would be difficult for him to try something with the Ministry on his side."

I said nothing. I didn't think Father needed the Ministry on his side to try anything.

"That said," Severus went on, nodding his thanks as he took the chopped gurdyroots from me, "it does not mean that we shouldn't remain cautious."

I nodded in agreement.

"Come," he said, standing up. "Let's go inside and duel."

"Can we go flying after that?" I asked, getting up to follow.

"I suppose," he answered, holding the door open for me. "Heaven knows when we'll be able to fly again once we go to Grimmauld Place."

We walked back to the house together, both of us in considerably lighter spirits than earlier. I wondered if the mood would become much darker again once our guests arrived in the afternoon. Severus didn't like playing the host on any occasion.

o o o o o o o o o

It was a sign of how low Docky was feeling that Severus wasn't being as snarky with him as usual. Though the ceremony wasn't starting until three o'clock, Dumbledore had arranged for Mother's body to be sent to the Estate in advance by magic. Severus had it all arranged with the Headmaster and I hadn't been nearby when he had received it. Apparently Docky had. From my bedroom upstairs, I had heard Docky's wailing as he ran down to the kitchen. He had loved his beloved 'Miss Hazel'.

When Severus and I came downstairs at that afternoon, wearing robes appropriate for a wizarding ceremony, Docky was to be found sitting on the bottom step, polishing the wood and looking very forlorn.

"Get up, Docky," Severus instructed, frowning at seeing him there. "I told you that there's no need to clean today. The house is tidy enough."

Docky jumped up, looking a little shaken. He didn't look himself at all. "Yes, Master Severus, sir," he said quietly, making the rag he was using vanish with a click of his fingers. "Docky has prepared refreshment for your expected guests."

Severus nodded. "Thankyou." He walked towards the front door, checking a pocket watch as he went. "They should be here shortly; we're meeting them out in the courtyard so we can walk there together."

I still hadn't seen the place on the grounds where Severus was intending to have Mother buried. According to my brother, it had been Mother's favourite part of the grounds.

I was about to follow Severus when he turned around abruptly. Docky was walking towards the stairs that led down to the kitchen.

"If you don't wish to walk with us, Docky, don't be late."

Docky turned around, looking a little ashamed. "Has Docky not finished serving Master Severus, sir?" he asked. "Docky is very sorry. What service can Docky be of out in the grounds?"

Severus shook his head impatiently. "I do not require anything, Docky. I merely meant if you wish to attend this afternoon you would be welcome to."

"Attend, Master Severus?" Docky's blue eyes were wide with astonishment. He shook his head. "Docky is a good house elf, sir. Docky knows his place. House elves do not attend wizarding functions unless they are serving their masters."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Well then serve me by making a decision. Do you wish to attend or not? The choice is yours, Docky, but you had better make it fairly quickly."

Docky looked simply elated to be given such an opportunity. "Yes, thankyou, Master Severus," he said, his eyes tearing up. "Docky would very much like to come. Docky will stay out of the way, sir. Docky will-"

"-Stop your ramblings and come along," Severus said, his tone suggesting that he would soon be out of patience.

Docky smiled, bowing low. "Yes, Master Severus, sir."

We both followed Severus outside, where we stood waiting in the courtyard. Thankfully, the sky was blue, but the sun's warmth was blocked by the icy chill in the strong breeze. We waited quietly; the only sound came from the rustling of leaves from the breeze.

Severus' face had returned to the ill-tempered look he had worn that morning at breakfast. I didn't feel much better.

A sudden screech made the three of us look up. Morag soared into the courtyard, closely followed by Aeolus. They landed on an ornate stone bench, looking quite content.

Severus sneered at the sight of them. "Don't attempt to corrupt poor Aeolus with your absurd vanity," he said coldly to Morag, who was, I would admit, looking very proud of herself. She certainly did fancy herself a good catch.

Morag just blinked in response and started to hoot quietly to Aeolus, who hooted happily in response.

Severus looked as if he was itching to hex the two of them. He turned and looked in the opposite direction instead. Before long, we heard the sound of footsteps on the gravel in the distance. We turned to see Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall making their way up the drive towards the courtyard. Dumbledore was looking resplendent in robes of deep purple, matched perfectly with a gold and purple hat, while McGonagall was wearing robes of dark green tartan. I was glad they weren't wearing black. One thing I hated about traditional funerals was the wearing of dark robes. Severus was wearing black and I was used to that, but I didn't want to wear black to Mother's funeral. I had settled for dark blue robes, and Severus hadn't commented.

"Good afternoon," said Dumbledore, when he and McGonagall had reached us. He reached out to shake Severus' hand. "It's fortunate that the weather is fine."

"Indeed," Severus said quietly, turning to shake McGongall's hand when Dumbledore turned to me.

"I must say that I am sorry you have to attend another funeral so soon for someone so special to you," Dumbledore said quietly, shaking my hand.

"I suppose I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to," I replied softly, "considering that she died so long ago.

Dumbledore smiled. "Well reasoned."

"Miss Snape," said McGonagall, shaking my hand. "It is lovely to see you again. Severus hasn't been making you study every minute of the day, has he?"

"No, Professor," I answered, smiling as I saw Severus shaking his head out of the corner of my eye.

"It may be all she will be able to do once we move to Grimmauld Place," Severus pointed out, sending Dumbledore a displeased look. "There won't be much for Armilla to do there when I am attempting to teach Potter."

McGonagall pursed her lips. "Give the boy a chance, Severus." She turned back to me. "I can always provide you with some Transfiguration projects to do."

Dumbledore chuckled. "I am sure Armilla thanks Merlin everyday for having such close ties to the Hogwarts staff."

"Of course she does," said Severus sardonically, "she benefits from it everyday, Headmaster."

Dumbledore smiled and turned to Docky. "Good afternoon, Docky," he said pleasantly. "You are joining us, are you not?"

Docky bowed. "Yes, Professor Dumbledore, sir, and Docky is very grateful to Master Severus for being given the opportunity to attend. Master Severus is very good to Docky."

Severus sneered. "Well then, shall we go?"

"Lead the way," said Dumbledore, smiling appreciatively as he looked from Docky to my brother.

Severus turned and strode towards the courtyard entryway. Dumbledore and McGonagall followed and I walked behind with Docky. I didn't know if it was my place or not to move in front of them to walk with Severus.

When we moved beyond the big archway, Severus moved towards the left before turning around. "We're not going to bury her amongst the other graves," he said shortly. "We're going to another location and it's at least a ten minute walk."

Dumbledore and McGonagall nodded and started to walk.

Severus' eyes came to rest on me and he gave a slight jerk of his head, indicating for me to walk at his side instead of at the back of the group. I moved forward and we led the way along the path.

Dumbledore and McGonagall became engaged in their own conversation a few metres behind us as we walked along the gravel path.

"Stay by my side this afternoon, Armilla," Severus said quietly. "Don't feel like you need to blend into the background because we have guests."

I nodded in response. He understood shyness so well. He was a sufferer himself.

The ten minute walk felt like much longer, but I didn't mind it. Lately I was happy simply when my brother was by my side. That was when I felt safest.

As we rounded a corner I could see the place where the ceremony was to take place. This part of the grounds was simply beautiful. The grass seemed greener here, and I couldn't have possibly counted all the coloured flowers I could see scattered everywhere. I could hear running water, which I soon found was coming from a huge stone fountain. An old swing hung from an even older tree, and there were a few old stone benches sitting under the trees. I could see why Mother had loved this place so much.

There was a larger stone bench sitting out in the sun near the swing. As we came closer, I could see something large resting on top of it. Something wrapped completely in pale blue silk. Mother.

"An appropriate place, do you think?" Severus whispered in my ear.

I nodded. I didn't trust myself to speak. Having identified what was on the stone bench had set off unwanted emotions. I was annoyed with myself. It wasn't as if I had not been expecting to see her there. It was her funeral after all. I noticed that the daffodil and violet wreath we had seen the day before was at the base of the bench.

The fact that there were no seats reassured me that this was not going to be a long service. We weren't even having someone from the Ministry lead the ceremony. Severus had meant it when he had said that he wanted the whole thing to be very private.

When we came to a halt just a few metres away from the stone bench upon which my mother was resting, I noticed from the pattern on the blue silk was identical to the material of the cushions on my bed. My bedroom was Mother's old bedroom. Maybe the material had meant something to her.

"The silk is very familiar," I murmured to my brother, as Dumbledore and McGonagall caught up, with Docky trailing behind.

He nodded. "Mother's own mother had that silk imported for her years ago," he said, his voice low. "Considering that she died when Mother was a small child, Mother rather thought a lot of whatever her mother left behind. There is still a lot of it left, but I thought it was the right thing to do to use some now."

I smiled. "That's quite sentimental, you know."

He turned and sent me a half-hearted scowl. "It is no such thing," he said curtly.

I shook my head. He really could be thoughtful with such details, not that he would ever admit it. It was just like when he had given me the diamonds for my birthday. The thought behind _that_ had been very sentimental.

"I must say, Severus, this is a lovely location," McGonagall commented. "I can see why you picked it."

Severus nodded, but said nothing.

"Perhaps we should start," said Dumbledore, withdrawing a book from his robes.

"Yes," my brother replied quietly.

Dumbledore opened his book and began to read what he had prepared. "We gather here today not simply to mourn the loss of Hazel Ianthe Snape, but to celebrate the life she led. We mourn because we love, and the mystery of love is far greater than the mystery of death. In celebrating the life of Hazel, we share our elation at having known her, having experienced her love and knowing that her love has passed to us. Let us not think that Hazel has truly left us, for what we have done for ourselves dies with us, but what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."

Dumbledore continued to read, but my mind started to wander. As hard as I wanted to concentrate on the Headmaster's words, I could not stop my mind from wanting to focus on my memories of Mother. In between his words, flashes of memories kept surfacing in my mind.

_It was a woman. She looked to be in her mid forties. She had clear blue eyes, a creamy complexion and long straight brown hair. She suddenly looked at me, though her eyes seemed unfocused._

"_Emiliana, is that you?" she called._

"_Er…no," I said._

"_And where is Lucia? She is with you, isn't she?" The woman started biting her nails._

Dumbledore began to read a poem.

"Death is nothing at all.

I have only slipped away into the next room-"

"_I am dead, child. My spirit inhabits this ring. This ring is a piece of dark magic that has been in my family for generations. It allows my spirit to inhabit it until I am satisfied with what I am leaving behind."_

Dumbledore continued.

"I am I, and you are you…"

"_I'm alright," I whispered, my eyes watering. "I'm so glad I've found you, Mother."_

_My mother's eyes were wide with shock, staring at the bracelet. Her bottom lip was trembling. I wasn't much better. My left arm, which I was still holding up, had started to shake. My legs suddenly felt numb and I was sure my knees were going to buckle._

"_You're Lucia?" Hazel whispered._

"Whatever we were to each other, that we still are…"

"_Your mother?"_ _I pressed, completely nonplussed. What the hell was going on?_

_Snape looked at me suddenly, as if only just noticing I was even in the room._

"_Yes, my mother, Miss Kemp," he said coldly, his face hard as if daring me to contradict him._

"Call me by my old familiar name-"

_Mother's eyes were teary again. "Then that explains it," she said weakly. "My daughter has grown up not knowing her brother or even who she is." Mother paused to sniff and wipe her nose._

"_I'm sure she's fine nonetheless," said Snape dismissively. "No need to start a search and play happy families," he sneered._

"_Severus!"_

_Snape blinked. "Yes?"_

"Speak to me in the easy way which you always used…"

"_Dear me, the looks on your faces!_ _How very alike the two of you are when you're both frowning. I never realised it before."_

"Put no difference in your tone…"

"_You'll just have to grow used to his temperament, dear," said Mother, smiling. "It's a questionable one, I know, and I did my very best to-"_

"_There is no need to talk about me as if I was not here," Snape snapped, looking quite affronted, glowering at Mother._

"Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow…"

"_You're only thirty-six once, Severus," said Mother, seeming to forget her anger at her son._

"_What an insightful statement," Snape drawled, looking bored._

"_Would you rather discuss your marital status?"_

"_No, I would not," he snapped._

"_But don't you want to hold your own baby one day, Severus?"_

_Snape blinked, looking aghast. "My own baby?"_

"_Certainly," said Mother, smiling. "There's nothing like it. The first time I held you-"_

"_-this conversation will not end well, Mother," he interrupted. "I suggest you stop now."_

"Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together..."

_Mother chortled in delight. "What fun! Why don't you give your brother something to make him laugh for his birthday, Armilla? Lord knows he rarely laughs."_

"_I don't think he'd like a mooing alarm clock," I said thoughtfully, feeling a bit uncomfortable now._

"_Indeed I wouldn't," Snape replied, shaking his head._

"Play, smile, think of me and if you want to, pray for me…"

"_Don't have them out near your sister," Mother interrupted, looking annoyed._

_Snape rolled his eyes. "Too late Mother," he said sardonically. "I gave them to Armilla to experiment with as a reward for getting an O in Potions. She left them simmering in a cauldron to come up here to chat to you." Snape widened his eyes. "In fact, I expect the dungeons to blow up at any moment."_

_Mother narrowed her eyes. "That was unnecessary, Severus."_

_Snape glared at her. "Then don't lecture me on parenting."_

"Let my name be ever the household word that it always was…"

_Mother gazed back at him dubiously. "Indulge me," she said dryly._

"_Alright," Snape replied, glancing briefly at me as he sat up straighter. "He is useless on top of the ground; he aught to be under it, inspiring the cabbages." He gave a small smile, clearly savouring the pleasure from such moving words._

_Mother pursed her lips as she turned to me. "Armilla," she said in a hard voice. "If I was able to, I would confiscate that book from your brother and then punish you for giving him such a present."_

_Mother glared at him. "She's encouraging you to be nasty, Severus. You don't need help."_

_Snape looked pleased. "Thankyou," he said graciously._

"_That wasn't a compliment!" Mother said indignantly._

"Let it be spoken without effect,

without the trace of a shadow on it…"

"_He needs you more than you realise, Armilla…more than he realises…"_

"Life means all that it ever meant…"

_Mother sighed. "Severus, when you have a spare moment, I'd like you to read a book on engaging in polite conversation. You don't need to put an end to every subject in such an abrupt, disinterested manner."_

_Snape's lip curled. "I already know how to do that." He smirked. "My conversation is cultured and sophisticated, as long as the subject in question interests me."_

"It is the same as it ever was;

there is unbroken continuity…"

"_She's well taken care of," he said softly to her. "There's no need to worry about that."_

"_But…but not by me," she sobbed. "Nnnot…by me."_

"_No," he said quietly. "Not by you. You have never been replaced. Armilla has never called anyone else Mother."_

"Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?"

"_Ah yes," he drawled, his lip curling. "We were trying to determine the degree of excitement Armilla has endured today. Does a pink cupcake rank high up the scale, Mother?"_

_Mother blinked. "You gave your sister a pink cupcake?"_

"_I did," he said, as I held up the cupcake as proof._

"_With two candles," I added._

"I am waiting for you…"

"_Mother laughed. "I read you Winnie-the-Pooh when you were a baby, Severus."_

_He sneered. "Well I doubt that I was impressed at the time."_

"for an interval…"

"_What's an Eeyore?"_

"_A donkey," I said quietly._

_He narrowed his eyes at Mother. "Are you calling me a donkey?"_

"Somewhere very near…"

"_I…have…to let…go," she panted, looking absolutely exhausted. "Severus…Armilla…I love you."_

_Before either of us could respond, it seemed that she literally let go, for her face became smaller and smaller, as if she was falling away from us._

"Just around the corner…"

"_I am flying," she called, closing her eyes, as the strong wind blew her away. Her voice became fainter. "I can see…"_

"All is well."

Dumbledore looked up as he finished, his eyes resting on the blue silk. He took out an ivory handkerchief to dab at his eyes. The only sounds were the rustling of leaves, the water from the fountain and the sniffling of Docky. I had been so consumed with reliving my memories that I hadn't noticed that tears had crept up on me as well. I didn't want to let them fall.

Dumbledore waved his wand and a magical tune began to play. I smiled when I realised it was _Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring_. It was the first song I had ever played for Severus, and it was the only song that Severus would allow his mother to play for him as a child.

Severus was standing by my side, stiff as a statue; his face was carefully void of emotion, yet the way his left hand was clutching tightly at his robes suggested that the emotions were certainly there underneath the surface.

As the tune faded away, Dumbledore started to read again.

"Do not stand at my grave and weep.  
I am not there. I do not sleep.   
I am a thousand winds that blow;  
I am the diamond glints on snow.  
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;  
I am the gentle Autumn's rain.  
When you awaken in the morning's hush,  
I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.  
I am the soft star that shines at night.  
Do not stand at my grave and cry.  
I am not there; I did not die."

He looked up. "Severus?"

Severus nodded. He looked at me and gestured for me to follow. I followed him to the stone bench and watched as he bent down and pulled a violet from the wreath at the base. Following his lead, I bent down and pulled a daffodil free. Together we placed our flowers on top of the blue silk. As we backed away, Docky's sniffles became much louder.

We stood, staring at the figure wrapped in the blue silk. I smiled as I thought of the first time I had seen Mother's face and I swallowed the lump in my throat.

The floral wreath, bench and silk suddenly burst into white flames. Docky let out an anguished sob and I bit down hard on my lower lip. Dumbledore looked quite thoughtful, and McGonagall was now dabbing at her eyes with a tartan handkerchief. As for my brother, he was wearing a slightly pinched expression as he watched the flames.

As I reached up to wipe my eyes, I noticed that I had subconsciously moved a lot closer to Severus. He didn't make eye contact with me, but as I lowered my hand he took it in his. Dumbledore and McGonagall were on his other side and wouldn't notice.

When the flames finally subsided, the stone bench was still completely intact, but the wreath and the blue silk had gone. I wondered why a tomb or gravestone had not appeared instead.

Severus gave my hand a final squeeze and let go. He turned to Dumbledore and held out his hand to shake it. "Thankyou, Headmaster."

"It was a pleasure, Severus," he answered.

They continued to talk for a moment, but I was distracted by the stone bench where Mother's body had just disappeared from. Was it not a proper grave? Was there a gravestone somewhere else? I found it most unsettling that Mother had just disappeared and I had no clue where she had gone. Back to oblivion?

"Armilla?" I turned when I realised someone was saying my name and I saw that the three adults were staring at me. Docky was standing behind McGonagall, blowing his nose. Severus was frowning at me. Perhaps he had said my name more than once and I hadn't noticed. I was too anxious about where Mother had gone.

"Perhaps Docky will lead Minerva and I back to the house," said Dumbledore pleasantly. It was very obvious that he thought Severus and I needed a moment to ourselves. Though I felt very childish that Dumbledore seemed to think this necessary, he was actually right.

"Yes," said Severus quietly, finally breaking his penetrating gaze from me to look back at the Headmaster. "Armilla and I will join you shortly." He turned to Docky. "Docky, if you would?"

Docky bowed, his eyes still watery. "Yes, Master Severus." He gestured for the other two to follow and Severus and I watched them walk away down the path.

I turned around and rested my eyes on the stone bench again. There seemed to be no mark indicating where Mother was.

Severus turned back too and followed my gaze to the bench. Silently he took my hand and led me to the bench.

The lump inside me seemed to vanish when I saw the top of it. Elegant writing was now etched on the seat, complete with an etched entwined violet and daffodil underneath.

_Hazel Ianthe Snape_

_22__nd__ June 1940_ – _26__th__ September 1981_

_Beloved Mother of Severus and Armilla_

I let out a quiet sigh of relief. So this bench marked her grave. I felt silly at not having realised this before.

"You seemed greatly unsettled a moment ago," Severus commented, watching me closely.

I looked up at him to see that he was no longer wearing an impassive expression. More than anything else, he looked drawn and anxious.

"I didn't know where she was," I whispered, feeling silly at admitting it. My voice was shaky when I spoke again. "I feel stupid now."

He shook his head and pulled me into his arms. This made my previously suppressed tears fall now.

"This was Mother's favourite place to sit," said Severus quietly. "I thought burying her beneath it would be more appropriate than producing a grave elsewhere. I apologise. I didn't think to tell you that there wouldn't be a gravestone."

I nodded, still taking in the sense of relief I felt at knowing where she was. "I was worried that she had vanished into nothingness again."

"Understandable, considering that's where she's been so very recently," he said, his voice low. "However, she is here and here she will stay."

We stayed silent for a moment, listening to a few birds chirping off in the distance, calling to each other as they flew from tree to tree.

Severus suddenly let out a dry sound of amusement. "It's interesting you know," he said thoughtfully, "Mother is finally home and I am not being nagged in the flesh, yet all I could hear through that funeral service was her voice, pestering me about my deplorable fondness for bachelorhood."


	7. Golden Time

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

**Chapter 7**

When I awoke on Monday morning it was with a small burst of happiness I had not felt for quite a few days. I was going to spend the whole day with Severus, provided he wasn't called. Upon leaving yesterday afternoon after Mother's funeral service, Dumbledore had pointedly assured Severus that he would not contact him the following day unless absolutely necessary. It was the last day we could spend together for a while. The following day we were due at Grimmauld Place, as was Harry Potter. I knew that from tomorrow, Severus' mood would naturally become more short-tempered and sharp. It was a consequence of his being forced to spend time with, as he called him, _The-Wondrous-Boy-Who-Lived-to-Ruin-My-Summer_.

Though Severus and I had been planning on burying Mother's ring, burying her body instead had brought much more closure to what had been an extremely unusual relationship in my eyes. The ring had been buried under the stone bench with Mother. I planned that, whenever possible, I would visit it when I was out flying. That was not likely to be for some time. I would not even be able to go outside when we went to Grimmauld Place. It seemed I would have a rather dull existence while I was staying there. Not that I was complaining. Saying it would be tediously dreary was a fact, but a small sacrifice to pay in light of what other members of the Order had to do.

I pushed such thoughts away as I got out of bed. No need to bring my mood down by thinking about the weeks ahead. I had a whole day with Severus before me. I just fervently hoped that he would not be called.

I showered and dressed and went back into my bedroom to tidy it up. Morag had finally come inside the night before after spending what I assumed what a happy evening with Aeolus. Severus did not approve of Morag spending time with Aeolus. He thought Morag's vanity and conceitedness would corrupt Aeolus. As I saw it, Aeolus was an old owl who merely took delight in having another owl around. It certainly helped that with her rare Metamorphmagus trait, Morag was an interesting companion to have.

I made my way downstairs to the breakfast room, where I found Severus frowning over _The Daily Prophet_ on the table in front of him, his hand clutching the handle of his steaming coffee.

"Good morning," I said, slipping into my seat.

"Good morning," he replied absently, turning the pages of the newspaper.

I poured some tea before reaching for a crumpet. I had persuaded Docky the night before to make them for me. Generally Docky only served toast, porridge or eggs. I noted with a small smile that Severus had a half-eaten crumpet on his own plate.

Severus folded the paper and put it aside, shaking his head slightly. I had become used to this; he did it most mornings.

"I suppose this is our final day of freedom," he said, looking over at me as he picked up his crumpet. "If indeed, our lives can be described as such," he added as an afterthought.

"What are you doing today?" I asked, spreading jam on my crumpet. Severus hadn't mentioned exactly what was happening. For all I knew, he had important things that had to be done first.

"What are _we_ doing, you mean," he said smoothly. "I thought we'd go to Diagon Alley this morning. I'd like to get your school shopping out of the way."

I nodded. "That won't take long. I only need books." Severus had an enormous supply of ink and parchment.

He nodded. "You certainly don't need new school robes. The ones you have are still in good condition and I don't anticipate a growth spurt from you any time soon."

"You never know," I said dryly. I was still the height of the average third year. Everyone seemed to be getting taller except me.

"You must take after Mother," said Severus. "She was on the shorter side."

"I'm not short."

"Indeed," he said, smiling slightly as he picked up his cup. "You need new shoes too. Your feet might not have grown, but you need them all the same."

I agreed with that. At least I didn't have to get new school robes. I had always hated spending ages in Madam Malkin's.

We left straight after breakfast, side-along apparating as usual.

I didn't know what I had been expecting, especially since I knew perfectly well that the wizarding world was in the midst of a war, but the eerie lack of noise from the street irked me. It was very disconcerting not to see crowds everywhere, adults busily leading children in and out of shops, calling greetings out to friends and acquaintances as they passed.

"Stay close to me," Severus murmured in my ear as we began to walk down the street. "There are plenty of dodgy folk about at the moment."

Everywhere I looked, there were large, purple Ministry of Magic posters containing security advice or photos of wanted Death Eaters. We passed Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, and I was sad to see that the windows had been boarded up.

There were hardly any people about, and those I did see looked to be in an awful hurry. It seemed everyone was keen to get their shopping done as quickly as possible.

Severus made an order at the apothecary for his seventh year Potions students before we headed to Flourish and Blotts. I noticed that there were shabby little stalls set up outside shops up and down the street. Outside the bookshop there was one of these stalls with a sleazy looking wizard holding a number of chains with silver symbols attached to them. The cardboard sign pinned to the front of the stall read:

_Amulets: Effective Against Werewolves, Dementors and Inferi_

"Don't pass on by, sir," the little wizard drawled to Severus. He leered at me, holding out his armful of symbols. "Care for an amulet to protect your little girl?"

Severus' lip curled as he gave one of his deadliest glares to the wizard. The little man faltered before giving a nervous smile. Severus maintained his glare a little longer for good measure before directing me to walk in front of him to Flourish and Blotts.

"I'd have hexed him if there weren't witnesses about," he muttered as we walked into the shop. "Conniving felons trying to cash in on the war…"

The bookshop seemed relatively empty too. There were a couple of elderly witches perusing the travel section of the shop. _The Daily Prophet_ had been reporting that many members of the wizarding community had left Britain in favour of finding safety abroad.

As Severus and I moved further into the shop, a small Hufflepuff girl came around the corner carrying a couple of books. The girl's eyes widened when she saw my brother and she let out a small squeak and dropped her books.

"I do hope you learn to control your clumsiness, Miss Bilson," Severus said quietly, sneering down at the girl as she hastened to pick up the books. "I do not tolerate inept students in my classes."

"Yes, Professor," the girl breathed, before running off, no doubt to find her parents.

As much as I wanted to, I gave no comment. I hated watching Severus goad other students. I had once been in the same position and knew how it felt. I had always felt uneasy, awkward and incredibly stupid in front of Professor Snape. He had a way about him. Severus led the way forward, a slightly amused look on his face.

I was thrilled that we only had to buy books for the subjects I _wanted_ to do. When I had received my OWL results, Severus had agreed to let me drop History of Magic and Astronomy. It only took about five minutes to locate all the school books I needed. Thinking that we were finished, I began to walk to the counter, but Severus had other ideas.

"Go and pick another couple out for yourself," he said.

I smiled. "What sort?"

"I don't have anything in mind," he said, shifting the weight of books in his arms. "Just pick things you would like to read."

Excellent. I headed straight to the Charms section and Severus followed close behind.

"I predicted you would come here," he said dryly, shaking his head slightly. "Didn't I buy you three Charms books the last time we were here?"

"Yes," I said nodding, scanning the titles in front of me. "But you told me I could pick what I wanted."

"Are you sure you don't want a Potions book?"

"Very sure," I said, smiling up at him. "You have plenty. I could borrow yours if I need them."

He made a sort of "hmph" noise and then began looking at the books himself.

Ten minutes later we left the shop with our purchases. I had of course, selected two Charms books. I had figured that they would make for good reading at Grimmauld Place.

We continued down the street, carefully avoiding the stalls with sleazy wizards who called out to us. Purchasing new shoes was easy enough, even though the shop owner turned out to be a former Ravenclaw student from my brother's earlier teaching days. This only served to make the experience more tedious, seeing as the poor woman was rather nervous of Severus' presence.

"One more place to go," Severus announced, as we made our way out of the shoe shop. "Then we shall head home for lunch. I have no wish to linger here."

As we continued to walk, something very brightly coloured up ahead caught my attention. As we drew closer, I couldn't help but smile as I realised what it was. _Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes_.

"Merlin, help me," Severus muttered as he caught site of the shop up ahead.

The left hand window was crowded with products that revolved, popped, bounced, flashed and shrieked. The colourful sight was overly stimulating to the eye and mind; it very much portrayed the immense talent for practical jokes and mischief for which Fred and George Weasley were famous.

"Shame we can't go in," I muttered, as we came closer. Death Eater or not, I knew my brother would not want to be seen in such a shop, especially by his students. The Formidable Head of Slytherin would not seem so fearsome if he was caught browsing through Canary Creams and Headless Hats.

"Definitely not," Severus said, shaking his head. His eyes did linger on the shop though.  
Underneath, he must have felt a sense of curiosity. He had, after all, supplied help to the twins in the form of a list of useful, rare potion ingredients with potential combinations. It had been a thankyou to the twins for unknowingly providing me with a means to escape from Father the month before. The _Knockout Powder_ they had given me had proven extremely useful.

The right hand window of the shop was covered with a huge, purple poster, clearly imitating the Ministry posters. We walked a little slower so we could read the words emblazoned on it in flashing yellow letters.

_Why Are You Worrying About You-Know-Who?_

_You SHOULD Be Worrying About_

_U-NO-POO-_

_The Constipation Sensation That's Gripping the Nation!_

I had to bite my tongue in an effort not to burst out laughing. It was a silly joke, but I found it hilarious. Severus, on the other hand, was staring at it with a slightly strained expression. "Fools," he muttered under his breath. "Complete imbeciles." He started to walk a little faster. "Come."

I hastened to catch up to him, resisting the urge to look over my shoulder and stare at the brightly coloured shop. I would have loved to have gone inside, at least to say hello to Fred and George. I was still trying not to smile. Severus looked at me and shook his head. "Perhaps I am not the target consumer," he said.

"Where are we going now?" I asked, watching people point in surprise as they caught sight of the Weasleys' shop.

"You'll see," Severus replied.

I sighed. He could be very annoying sometimes.

To my utter surprise, he stopped outside a shop called Magical Melodies.

"What do you want in this shop?" I asked, astonished. What did Severus want in a shop that sold musical instruments? I smiled. "Do you want to learn one?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, my strongest desire is to play a duet with you."

I laughed. "Well then?"

"I think you should learn another instrument," he said simply. "There is ample time for it." He gave me a knowing look.

Ah. So he wanted another means to keep me occupied at Grimmauld Place. He had already told me that he didn't want me to read all day long. I had never entertained the idea of playing another instrument. It was only through Severus' efforts that I had taken up the piano again. Memories of Shar had turned me off it.

He opened the door and gestured for me to go in before him. "What do you think?" he asked quietly, following me in. "I do not want to force you into this. As you well know, learning an instrument requires intense concentration and discipline."

The shop was dimly lit, as if it didn't want to draw attention to passing customers. A grand piano near the door had been charmed to play a soft melody. A cello further back had also been enchanted to accompany it.

"I don't know,' I said slowly. "Who would teach me?" I hadn't taught myself to play the piano; one of Merle's muggle friends had taught me to play.

"I have already had an offer," he replied, "should you decide to say yes."

I gave him an inquisitive look. The man was full of surprises. "That's depends now," I said uncomfortably. "I mightn't like the person."

He smiled. "You would approve of the teacher, trust me. He knows how to play a variety of instruments."

Slowly, I nodded. "Alright then."

He nodded. "Good."

"Good morning, Professor Snape," said a small, old woman with black ringlets, coming through a doorway that led to the back of the shop.

Severus inclined his head. "Mrs Flitwick."

Mrs Flitwick? A relation of my Head of House?

"Armilla," said Severus, pushing me forward, "this is Mrs Flitwick, the owner of this shop and Professor Flitwick's cousin. She has dined with the staff of Hogwarts more than once over the years. Mrs Flitwick, this is my-"

"Sister, yes!" said Mrs Flitwick, coming forward. With a broad smile on her face, Mrs Flitwick shook my hand rigorously. "Lovely to meet you, my dear."

"I hope," said Severus, clearly wanting to move onto business, "that we will be able to select an instrument for Armilla to learn. She is already proficient at the piano. Something much smaller would suffice."

Mrs Flitwick nodded, her eyes moving from my brother to me. "Well, it makes things much easier for you, dear, having a musical background. What other instruments are you interested in?"

I looked around. "I'm not sure." I had no idea what I wanted to play. I felt a little silly saying so, seeing as we were there to buy an instrument. Musical instruments were expensive.

"We will take a look around," said Severus.

Mrs Flitwick nodded. "Of course." She winked at me. "I suppose the drums are too big, dear. What about a nice trumpet?"

"Absolutely not," said Severus, before I had a chance to answer.

I smiled. "But that's what sound-proofing spells are for."

He met my eye. "Absolutely not," he repeated. He turned and began to walk past a display that held a range of guitars.

"Ukulele?" I suggested, pointing it out.

Severus turned and fixed me with a mocking look. "Certainly, Armilla. All you'll need is a lei, a grass skirt and a portkey to Hawaii."

I smiled again. "No?"

He rolled his eyes and kept walking. "What about a clarinet?" he suggested.

I shook my head. I didn't like the sound of clarinets.

"Bagpipes?" I said. Merle had always loved the sound of bagpipes. I didn't though; I was just testing my brother.

He turned around again. "Really?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Again, I shook my head. "No." Something else had caught my eye. "I wouldn't mind learning to play the violin."

"An excellent choice, dear," said Mrs Flitwick, moving forward to pick one up. She placed it in my hands to examine. It was a little heavier than I thought it would be, but it felt right. I went to put it into position and then realised that something wasn't quite right after all.

"Armilla's left-handed," said Severus, looking down at the violin.

"Oh, that is no problem," Mrs Flitwick said airily, moving a couple of steps to pick up another. "I cater for that." She took the violin in my hand and handed me the other. That was better. This felt exactly right.

Severus took it and examined it himself. "Are you sure?" he asked me.

I nodded. "Yes, I like it."

He nodded. "Very well." He turned to Mrs Flitwick. "We'll take it."

She smiled. "Certainly, Professor." She took the violin from Severus and moved to the shop counter to retrieve a case for it.

As Severus moved towards the counter to pay I tugged on his sleeve. "What if I'm no good at it?" I whispered.

He looked down at me with a slightly amused expression. "That's what sound-proofing charms are for."

o o o o o o o o o

Fifteen minutes later we were back on our property, travelling in a carriage towards the house. It had started to rain quite heavily, causing the thestrals pulling the carriage to move much slower than usual. My thoughts were still preoccupied with the identity of my violin teacher.

"I don't suppose you could tell me who is going to teach me?" I asked Severus.

"Professor Flitwick," he said, drawing his eyes away from the window to look at me.

"Professor Flitwick?" That was a surprise. My Head of House teaching me to play an instrument… I supposed it made sense. He was, after all, also Head of the choir and band at Hogwarts.

I suddenly became alarmed. "He won't expect me to join the school band, will he?" I asked, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. I only ever played music for myself. I wasn't a performer by any means.

Severus shook his head. "No, of course not." He smiled. "I couldn't imagine you doing such a thing. Actually, your Head of House expressed his concern to me after the Order meeting in which Dumbledore announced his plans for Potter staying at Grimmauld Place with us. It seems he was worried you would be leading a rather dismal existence. He knows many of your interests come in the form of books and he asked if there was going to be at least one alternative form of entertainment to pass the time. I didn't mention duelling to him and there was very little else to say."

"But you told him I could play the piano?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Flitwick who brought up the idea," he said indifferently. "As a musician himself, he suggested that you learn something since you would have the time. There is an old piano at Grimmauld Place. He suggested you learn it with his assistance. I informed him that you were already a superior musician at that particular instrument and he was most pleased to hear it. He mentioned something about you having the discipline and dedication for it." He paused to smirk slightly at me. "Though perhaps he says that to _all_ the Ravenclaw parents?"

I smiled. "Perhaps. We're a magnificent, superior bunch."

He rolled his eyes. "There's that Ravenclaw wit shining through. His suggestion got me thinking though. I thought it was an excellent idea. Professor Flitwick comes from a musical family and can play a long list of instruments. I told him I would discuss the idea with you and he said he would be happy to come to Grimmauld Place a couple of times a week to teach you if you agreed."

"That's nice of him," I said, nodding, "especially since it's his holidays too."

He nodded. "He was rather insistent actually. Dumbledore became involved and suddenly Flitwick's time at Grimmauld Place increased. He will also have a few sessions a week to work on wand movements and charms with Potter." He met my gaze. "That's time for us to spend together, perhaps leave the house if we wish to."

I smiled. "I suppose Dumbledore is doing that for your sanity?" After all, having Severus and Harry spend so much time together did not bode well for either of them. Neither was known for their placid temper, especially when it came to each other.

"I suppose so," he answered, sneering slightly. "Dumbledore, the optimist that he is, seems to think it will all work out perfectly." He narrowed his eyes as he looked back out the window. "_I_, however, as the realist, see the situation for what it is."

We endured the rest of the short journey in silence. The rain became heavier and heavier as we approached the entrance to the manor.

Docky emerged at the front door when Severus and I alighted the carriage. We hurried up the front steps to avoid the rain and Docky bounced back to let us pass. He seemed very excited about something. His subdued mood had remained after Mother's funeral, but there was definitely something akin to incredible excitement shining in his eyes.

He followed us into the entrance foyer, a huge smile on his face. As Severus and I took out our wands to cast drying charms over ourselves, he hopped about in front of us.

"What in Merlin's name has gotten into you?" asked Severus, frowning down at Docky.

"Nothing, Master Severus, sir," he said innocently, beaming up at my brother. He gave him a knowing look. "All is well, sir."

Severus nodded curtly. "As it very well should be." He turned to me, taking a couple of small packages out of his pocket as he went. He had shrunk our purchases earlier to make carrying them easier. He pointed his wand at the Flourish and Blotts purchases and immediately they returned to their normal size. "Here," he said, holding them out to me. "Take them upstairs. Docky will bring the rest up later."

I nodded, taking the packages from him. Severus turned and headed towards the kitchen, Docky bouncing at his heels. A moment later I heard their voices on the kitchen stairs.

"Docky made Pavlova, Master Severus!"

"How simply delightful," my brother drawled.

I went up the main staircase, listening to the rain pounding against the windows. I loved the sound of rain, especially on a night when I could curl up in bed with a good book, knowing I could sleep in the next morning. I knew I couldn't sleep in tomorrow; we were leaving for Grimmauld place straight after breakfast.

I walked along the corridor to my bedroom, wondering if Morag had bullied Docky into letting her out so she could see Aeolus. I opened the door and saw that Morag was not sitting on top of her cage where she usually liked to perch. I turned to scan the room for any sign of her presence.

I gasped and dropped my books instead. I had visitors.

"Honestly, Milly, you can give us a better greeting than that." Terry grinned at me from one of the armchairs near the fireplace. His girlfriend, my best friend, Lisa, was sitting on the sofa, grinning at me as well.

"You weren't expecting us then?" she said with a laugh, getting up.

I got over my shock fairly quickly, though my heart was pounding. All thoughts of Morag went out the window.

Lisa came over and hugged me. I didn't realise how much I had been missing my friends until I saw them. It was so wonderful to see them.

"I've missed having you over, Mill," she said. "I've been home from New Zealand for awhile and it's been lonely around the house without you."

"How was New Zealand?" I asked. Lisa had gone there to visit her brother and sister-in-law.

"Cold," she said promptly. "Remind me to go there when it _their_ summer next time."

Terry rolled his eyes as he hugged me. "Still complaining, isn't she?"

Lisa punched him playfully in the shoulder and led me over to the sofa. "I bought you back a souvenir," she said, rummaging around in her bag.

Terry dutifully picked up my discarded new books and brought them over to the table. "Snape bought you some nice books," he said, looking at the ones I had picked out.

"Here you go!" said Lisa proudly, placing a small box in my hands. "I bought you this in Dunedin. We visited Larnach Castle, the only castle in New Zealand."

I opened the box and pulled out a small, pewter knight. It was intricately detailed and could fit into the palm of my hand. I placed him on the coffee table in front of us and he bowed to me. "I am Sir Rodrigo," he announced. "I swear to serve thee." With that, he turned and marched along the table. "Checking for danger." He kept marching right off the table. "Ahhhhh!"

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Well, it's a charmed knight; it doesn't necessarily mean it's clever."

I peered over the edge of the coffee table. The knight had righted himself and was now brandishing his sword at the leg of the table. "I challenge you to duel! Come back and fight! I am not afraid of perishing! I am of noble heart!"

"Though you have a questionable mind," Terry muttered, sitting back down in the armchair he had been occupying.

The knight paused and scratched his pewter headpiece. He then leaned forward and knocked on the wood. "Are you home, Tarah?"

"Thanks, Lisa," I said, smiling down at the ridiculous knight. "I love it."

"So what have you been up to?" Lisa asked.

I shook my head. "First tell me how this was all arranged. Severus didn't tell me you were coming."

Terry smiled. "He's a secretive person, that's for sure. He contacted us yesterday, telling us to keep today free in case there was the possibility of seeing you."

"He arranged travel instructions for us too," Lisa added. "We received a portkey that took us to this little clearing. Your house elf met us there. Then we got a carriage sort of like the ones we travel in at school."

"Cheerful one, your house elf, isn't he?" said Terry, picking Sir Rodrigo up off the floor.

I nodded. "He's a lot nicer than Jiffy, my father's house elf."

"You told us the place was big," Lisa went on, "but we never realised that Snape owned such a property. Your bedroom is three times the size of mine."

"It's three times the size of the one I had at Merle's," I admitted, looking around. "Severus inherited all this though."

Terry laughed. "Well, it's not like a teacher would be paid well enough to buy this. Don't you ever get lost?"

I shook my head. "I mainly move around the parts of the house I know. There are plenty of rooms I haven't been in yet."

"If you were a Gryffindor you'd have been exploring in every room by now," said Terry, getting up with Rodrigo and walking to the window.

"I'd have gotten lost by now," I said dryly. "Then I'd have to give an explanation to Severus." I smiled at them. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Had a bad summer then?" asked Lisa.

"No," I said at once. "I've had a good summer so far. It's just great to see you both."

"So how'd you do on your OWLs?" Terry asked, looking away from the window.

"Seven Os and two Es," I replied. "I'm dropping Astronomy and History of Magic this year."

Terry nodded. "I'm dropping them too. I got the same marks, except I also got an E in Care of Magical Creatures."

"My Es came in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Herbology," said Lisa. "Otherwise all Os."

"You're going on with every subject then?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "Except History of Magic. It will be even more boring without you two there with me. I think-"

She was interrupted by the appearance of Docky in the doorway. He walked into the room with my other packages levitating behind him.

"Lunch is served, Miss Armilla," he announced, sweeping into a bow. The packages sailed over his head and landed at the foot of my bed.

"Thanks, Docky," I said, gesturing for my friends to follow. Terry deposited Sir Rodrigo on my bed.

"I say, dear sir," he said, treading the mattress, "the ground here seems dangerously spongy."

"Is Snape going to eat with us?" Terry whispered, looking nervous.

Lisa looked equally uncomfortable at the prospect. My friends, of course, generally only dealt with Snape on a teacher/student basis. They still found him intimidating and unapproachable. The idea of sharing a meal with him must have seemed daunting at the least.

"I suppose so," I replied, leading them down corridor towards the stairs. "It's alright; he won't deduct points or anything."

"Can you guarantee that?" Terry muttered. "I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I'm in Snape's house."

"On invitation," I reminded him.

We descended the stairs and I led my friends to the breakfast room, where Severus and I generally ate. The dining room could seat a vast amount of people and Severus thought it was too big to eat in there.

I was wondering myself if Severus would join us for lunch. I thought he might find it uncomfortable to eat with students, especially ones who weren't from his House. But then, these were my friends. Maybe today he could just be my brother who viewed them as his sister's friends.

Severus was just sitting down at the table when we came into the room. He looked up at the sound of our footsteps and I was actually pleased that he didn't immediately narrow his eyes at my friends. In fact, there was no sneer in place at all.

"Good afternoon, Miss Turpin, Mr Boot," he said, gesturing to the seats opposite my place at the table. "Do sit down."

I moved over to my own place and sat down, while my friends moved a little more slowly to their places. Docky had made beef pie and potatoes for lunch. He paid a lot of attention to the meals I suggested to him. Severus rarely commented on the larger variety of meals we'd been having since the beginning of the summer. I believed he secretly enjoyed them.

We began to eat in silence. I noticed that Terry and Lisa were extra careful in showing proper table manners.

"I trust you have had good holidays?" Severus enquired, breaking the silence.

"Yes, sir," they said in unison.

"What have you been doing, Mr Boot?"

Terry swallowed his mouthful of potato, clearly surprised at being asked for more information about his holidays. "I've been cleaning out my gran's attic, sir."

"How exhilarating that must have been for you," Severus commented.

Terry nodded, clearly not sure if Severus was being sarcastic or not. "It turned out better than I thought it would be."

"How so?"

"I found some interesting old magical objects Gran had forgotten she had."

"Well then, I hope you showed some responsibility in handling them," said Severus, looking stern.

"Yes, sir," Terry replied, meeting his eye.

Severus looked at Lisa. "And you, Miss Turpin? Armilla told me you have been to New Zealand."

Lisa looked at me before answering. It seemed she was genuinely surprised that I would share such information with my brother. She probably thought that Severus couldn't care less where she went.

"Yes, sir," she said. "We went at the beginning of the summer."

"And did it meet with your expectations?"

"Yes, sir. I had a nice time."

Severus nodded and went back to his meal. We ate in silence for a few more minutes, listening to the rain, until he spoke again. "Armilla," he said, looking at me, "have you informed your friends about our relocation tomorrow?" His eyes were asking me how much information I had given them.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't mentioned it."

"Are you going somewhere?" Lisa asked, looking at me, a nervous expression growing on her face.

"I have important business to attend to for an indefinite amount of the summer remaining," said Severus, addressing himself to my friends. "Armilla will accompany me for that time. You will still be able to contact her, naturally, but it is unlikely she will see you until school begins in September."

They looked disappointed. They clearly understood that Severus' use of 'important business' meant that they were not entitled to know the specifics. Neither of them came from families in the Order.

"Am I to assume that you both qualified to begin NEWT Advanced Potions?" Severus asked, changing the subject. "I don't accept anything less than an Outstanding."

"Yes, sir," they said, looking hopeful, even though they had already qualified.

He nodded curtly, turning back to his meal. Lisa and Terry both turned back to their meals, but not before giving me small, nervous smiles.

o o o o o o o o o

I spent a lovely afternoon with my friends. We couldn't go outside because of the rain, but I showed them around the rooms in the house I spent most of my time in. Severus had mentioned after lunch that he was going to be in his study. This put Lisa and Terry more at ease; they were initially nervous of looking like they were snooping.

We ate afternoon tea with Docky down in the kitchen, where he served his Pavlova and freshly made pumpkin juice. Severus didn't come down for Pavlova. I didn't think he would want to endure Docky's energy; his songs kept my friends highly entertained.

They left shortly before dinner. Docky was given the task of escorting them back the same way they had come. It had stopped raining for now, and there was a fresh, dewy scent in the air.

"Thankyou," I said to Severus, as we stood on the front steps, watching the carriage disappear from sight.

"I felt it was in your best interest to see them before we leave," he said dismissively. He looked down at me. "Did you have a nice afternoon?"

I nodded. "I did. Docky did too."

He narrowed his eyes. "It's rare Docky can entertain guests who welcome his antics."

I laughed and we turned and walked back inside.

"You had better go and pack before dinner," said Severus, following me up the stairs. "I've already packed the school books you'll need."

I groaned.

"You're welcome," he said dryly.

As I walked into my bedroom a loud hoot was heard as two large speckled owls soared through the open window, carrying a rather large package between them.

Morag, who had returned midafternoon, hooted in greeting from the top of her cage. Aeolus, who sat near her on top of the armoire, cocked his head in interest.

"Are you expecting something?" Severus asked from the doorway, frowning at the owls, who had landed on the table.

"No," I said, taking out my wand to perform the necessary security spells before I opened it. It passed the test, and as I untied the package I gave a laugh.

"What is it?" asked Severus, coming to stand behind me. I held up the package so he could see the company name in the corner.

_Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes_

Severus gave no comment; he merely pursed his lips.

A letter was attached to the front, bearing the same company name. I tore open the envelope and unfolded the parchment inside. I read it to myself.

_Dear Armilla,_

_Greetings from number ninety-three, Diagon Alley! Fred and I saw you and Professor Snape pass our shop this morning and we were disappointed that we didn't get a chance to say hello (not that we don't understand why you didn't come in). We hope you approve of our rather solemn exterior. Fred wanted to brighten it up a bit, but I thought the sombre look of the front windows was much more inviting as it is._

_We decided to send you some more samples of our newest products so you can see for yourself how innovative we have been since we saw you last. We've also enclosed some of our older products, including the one you found most useful. Don't worry about this letter not being as subtle as it could be – it's been designed to blow up in the face of anyone who opens it with ill intentions – we got rather injured in developing the concept actually, but we've got a good salve now for serious burns._

_Enjoy the products and let us know what you think._

_George Weasley, also on behalf of his not-as-good-looking twin, Fred_

I smiled, closing the letter. "Fred and George have sent me some of their products," I said, reaching forward to open the package. "New ones and old ones; they probably want to show you what they've developed with the help you've given them."

"I hope at least a small percentage of its contents contain something useful," said Severus, eying the package with disdain.

"It does," I said happily, pulling out some Knockout Powder, complete with the anti-fainting gum that went with it. I handed it to him and he examined it closely.

"Very useful," he murmured. "It certainly helped you out of a tight spot."

I nodded, pulling more things out of the package. There were Nosebleed Nougats, Fainting Fancies, Fever Fudge, Canary Creams and Extendable Ears.

Severus' mouth thinned as he looked at them. "I shall know what symptoms to look out for," he said, reading the description on the Fever Fudge package. "I have a feeling that I'll be confiscating many Weasley products this year." He picked up the Extendable Ears. "I've seen these before at an Order meeting," he stated. "Molly Weasley had found them in the twins' bedroom. I imagine they've been very useful."

"Here's something new," I said, pulling out a larger box. "_The Ultimate Shield Set_," I read, looking at the box. "_Watch your component's hexes backfire. Comes with Shield hat, cloak and gloves." _I opened the box and pulled out the hat, cloak and gloves.

Severus seemed much more interested in these. "I'll have to experiment with these," he murmured. "At least they've put some thought into something constructive."

"Here's a Decoy Detonator," I said, passing him the box, "and Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder."

Severus now looked much more approving. "I don't regret helping them now," he said, looking at the Instant Darkness Powder with interest.

I reached further into the package to pull out the last of the contents. My hand closed around something small and fluffy. I let go hastily when I heard a high-pitched squeak. Severus frowned at the sound, obviously anticipating something he would not approve of. I peered into the package and saw a pink, fluffy blob. I was instantly reminded of the cardigans Umbridge wore and shuddered.

I reached in and pulled the blob out. It squeaked again and stuck out a long, pink tongue. It had a label attached to it. "_Pygmy Puff_," I read, "_Miniature puffskein. Pat them, chuck them, cuddle them._"

"Oh, just what we need," Severus drawled, looking revolted at the sight of it. "A _puffskein_."

"I had a puffskein years ago," I said, patting the Pygmy Puff. "It wandered onto Shar's property and never came back."

"I had a puffskein years ago too," said Severus, sneering down at the Pygmy Puff, who was making a contented humming noise in my hand.

"What happened to it?"

"I experimented with it in one of my first potions."

I stared at him and he looked right back with the utmost casual expression. As annoying as the creature was likely to be, I didn't wish such a fate on it. "Well, you can't use mine," I said.

"See to it that I don't have to," he said smoothly. "Puffskeins have a tendency for exploring and scavenging food. Hopefully I won't have the pleasure of meeting it around the house."

I shook my head. "You won't."

"Is there anything else there?" he asked, nodding towards the package.

"One more box," I replied, tipping the package upside down. A small, violently pink box fell out. It had a picture of a rather nice looking young man on it with, in my opinion, a ridiculous looking, swooning girl. They were standing on what looked to be the deck of a pirate ship. "_WonderWitch_ _collection_," I read. "_Patented Daydream Charm._ _One simple incantation and you will enter a_-"

Realising what it was, I stopped suddenly and read the rest to myself.

- _top_ _quality, highly realistic thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under sixteens. Works for__up to twenty-four hours depending on the weight of the boy in question and the attractiveness of the girl._

"Doesn't look much," I muttered, but Severus seized it from my hand with a distrusting look on his face. He read the description, his expression becoming grimmer with every line.

"What a waste of good ingredients," he said finally, sneering down at the offending product. He handed it back to me. "I trust you will dispose of it, yes?"

"Of course," I said disinterestedly, turning away to place it on the table. "I have no use for it." I placed the Pygmy Puff on the table too. When I turned back, Severus was regarding me with a calculating expression.

I looked innocently at him, wondering what he was thinking.

"Ahoy there, matey!" said a small, but very energetic voice.

"What the-" said Severus, looking sharply over in the direction of my bed.

"It's only Rodrigo," I said, walking over to my bed to pick up the little knight, who was brandishing his rather blunt little sword once more.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Rodrigo?"

"My knight," I said, holding it out for him to see. "Lisa bought him in New Zealand."

Severus held it at arm's length. The little knight was unsuccessfully trying to stab my brother's fingers with his sword. "Ahoy there!" Rodrigo repeated.

"He…erm…also thinks he's a sailor," I pointed out, giving him a small smile.

Severus looked at Rodrigo, glanced down at the Pygmy Puff and the WonderWitch product and then turned back to me with a strange expression. "Your friends give you bizarre gifts, Armilla."

I shrugged, watching as Severus placed Rodrigo down on the table next to the Pygmy Puff. Rodrigo paused as he took in the sight of the pink ball of fluff, which seemed to be dozing. A moment later, he was poking it with his sword.

Severus gave him a satisfied, malicious smile. "Kill it."

o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Hope you enjoyed the chapter. This was more of a transitional chapter, leading into the Grimmauld Place scenes. You WILL see Harry in the next chapter. Please spare a moment to leave a comment. They're very nice to receive after hours of work.

Filius Flitwick – in my story he is an Order member. I also took advantage of the fact that he is involved in the musical side of the school in the HP movies.

Sir Rodrigo – based on a pewter knight I got from New Zealand. Unfortunately, mine doesn't move. If he could,  
I imagine he would utter many _Monty Python_ lines.


	8. Impending Doom

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

**Chapter 8**

"Ah, impending doom," Severus muttered, handing me Morag's cage before reaching out for the serpent-shaped doorknocker. He rapped sharply and then stood back, a look of distaste evident on his face as he took in the dirty exterior of the Georgian terraced house.

I hadn't been to Grimmauld Place in over six months, and Sirius Black had been alive then. It was a little disturbing to return to the house of a dead man whom my brother had loathed. As it was, it seemed we would be living here for a while.

Severus had been in a particularly ill-tempered mood at breakfast and, having anticipated this, I had kept my own conversation to a minimum. I was predicting many irritable moods in the forthcoming weeks from him and so it would not do to add to his stress by appearing grossly unhappy at Grimmauld Place. He had, after all, gone to the trouble of buying me a violin to learn while I was there.

The door gave a series of clicks before creaking open. Severus pushed the door further open.

"Go in quietly," he whispered, gesturing for me to enter. "It will not do to upset Black's mother."

Black's _mother_? Wasn't she dead? Tonks had mentioned going into the hall quietly we I had come with her the first time. I had never found out why.

I walked in slowly, noting how dark the house seemed. Even Father's house at Snape Manor had more light than this. Apart from the peeling wall paper and the threadbare rug, the hall seemed quite clean.

As Severus closed the door quietly behind him, my eyes fell on a heavy curtain that didn't seem to be concealing a window.

"What's that?" I whispered, nodding towards it.

"The portrait of the late Mrs Black," he murmured. "You would do well to remember that unless you want to be subjected to the old hag's rather vociferous rants on blood traitors you will keep all noise to a minimum."

I nodded, feeling _so_ at ease.

I heard the sound of rushing footsteps coming from the kitchen stairs and a moment later Mrs Weasley came into view. She was wearing an apron and carried a spatula in one hand. She looked a little ruffled, but her smile was genuine.

"Professor Snape, Armilla," she said pleasantly. "Did you have a safe journey?"

"Indeed," Severus answered, inclining his head. "I trust Potter is already here?"

Mrs Weasley's smile faltered for a moment. "Yes, he is," she said, her smile now seeming more forced. "He's in the kitchen with Remus."

Severus' eyes narrowed. "Lupin's here? How simply wonderful."

Mrs Weasley pursed her lips. "He's not staying, Severus. He came to see Harry with the intention of speaking to him before you arrived." She clutched at her apron, looking a little flustered. "Harry has not…ah…taken _well_ to this idea."

Severus smirked. "Well let me go assure him that this little holiday delights both Armilla and myself to no end."

Mrs Weasley frowned. "This _will_ be difficult for him, Severus, you must understand that."

Severus sneered. "As long as he remembers his place, hopefully the difficulties in teaching him won't be too numerous. There will be no one to coddle him here."

Mrs Weasley scowled now. "He has just lost his godfather, Severus," she whispered in a deadly tone. "You may not have liked Sirius, but he meant a lot to Harry. Perhaps you will keep that in mind in the forthcoming weeks."

Severus folded his arms, his glare rivalling that of the short woman in front of him. "If my services include consoling a grieving Potter then perhaps I should beseech the Headmaster to postpone this visit until Potter is ready to do what is expected of him."

Mrs Weasley opened her mouth to retort, but seemed to think better of it. She sighed. "Well, Dumbledore seems to think this is necessary," she said at last.

"As does Nymphadora, Shacklebolt and many others, including Lupin," Severus replied, looking bored. "Are we to stand here discussing this, Molly, or shall I show myself down to the kitchen?"

Mrs Weasley pursed her lips once more, turned on her heal and walked purposely towards the kitchen stairs.

"Leave Morag here," Severus muttered, looking irritated.

I put down the cage, glad that Morag was sleeping for the sake of not disturbing Mrs Black. I was glad to have woken that morning to find Morag sleeping; it was easier to travel with a sleeping owl. Morag was not going to be happy when she woke and found that she was in a different place; a place where Aeolus, her owl friend, was not present.

I followed Severus down to the kitchen, trying to push away any feelings of apprehension. The conversation with Mrs Weasley had not been a good start.

We followed Mrs Weasley in to find Harry sitting down at the table, while Lupin was standing on the other side, his arms folded, looking very drawn. This tiredness may have not only been due to Order work, if Harry's face and body language was anything to go by. Harry was slouching in his seat, arms also crossed, looking moodily at the table. I guessed that whatever conversation had just transpired between them had not gone well.

Lupin turned at the sound of our footsteps. "Good morning, Severus," he said, nodding at my brother. He smiled at me. "Hello, Armilla."

"Hello," I replied, not sure what to call him. I had been used to calling him Professor Lupin. He had been the best Defence against the Dark Arts teacher I'd ever had, apart from my brother's private sessions, of course.

He smiled. "Don't call me Professor. You may call me Remus."

I nodded and Severus frowned at him. "Wishing Potter a fond farewell, Lupin?"

Lupin looked unfazed. "In a manner of speaking." He looked back at Harry, who was still staring at the table. "I was just assuring him that that he's not being…erm…_left_ here."

"Feeling abandoned, Potter?" Severus sneered.

Harry looked up, but not at my brother. Instead, he sent a furious glare at Lupin, who in turn merely shook his head. Harry had yet to acknowledge our presence in the room and I didn't think it would occur any time soon.

"Perhaps I should show you where you will be staying," said Mrs Weasley from the doorway. "You might like to deposit your belongings in your rooms."

"Yes." Severus turned and gestured for Mrs Weasley to lead the way. Her face was red and she looked far from pleased. She clearly didn't think this was a good idea.

I collected Morag, who was still sleeping, in the hall and then we followed Mrs Weasley up the stairs to the first floor.

"Armilla, you'll be staying in the room Ginny and Hermione use," said Mrs Weasley, opening the door. The room was just as I remembered it when I had stayed there for the day back in January. Hermione had come in to talk, shortly followed by Ginny, Harry and Ron. It was a long, narrow room with two floor length windows at the far end. There were three beds with old-fashioned eiderdowns on them.

I placed Morag's cage down as Severus withdrew my shrunken trunk from his pocket and returned it to its original size.

"There are several guest bedrooms, Severus," said Mrs Weasley, as we turned back to face her. "There is another one on this floor down the hall, a spare on the floor above next to Harry's room, and another on the floor above that, but the twins occupied that one and I cannot assure you that it is free of their joke products."

"The one on this floor should suffice," he replied, nodding for her to lead the way once more. I could tell that he was keen for her to be gone. As nice as Mrs Weasley was, she wasn't the sort of person whom Severus would want to spend excessive time with.

We returned to the kitchen minutes later, having deposited all our things in our rooms, to find Harry now standing next to Lupin.

"Well then," said Mrs Weasley, bustling over to them, "it is high time I left. Things to see to at home." She pulled Harry into a tight hug, which he looked very self-conscious about returning. "We'll see you, soon dear," she said upon releasing him. "You'll come to us on your birthday. I've told Professor Dumbledore that I will brook no argument on that subject."

Harry gave a small nod, turning a little red. Personally, I was surprised that Severus was not sneering at the scene; it was the sort that he would normally scoff at, even though he could be affectionate when he knew no one was watching. As it was, he was gazing around the kitchen instead with an indifferent expression.

"Don't hesitate to contact me, Severus, if there's anything needed," said Mrs Weasley, walking towards the door.

"Of course, Molly," he replied, ever so politely. He turned to Lupin to say something, but suddenly clutched his left arm instead.

Mrs Weasley and Lupin both froze, anxious expressions on their faces. Even Harry broke his gaze away from the table, watching Severus closely. I felt a pang in my chest; we had scarcely been there ten minutes and Severus had already been called. Perhaps it was just a coincidence.

"Go, Severus," said Lupin quietly. "I don't have fixed plans this morning. I'll stay with Armilla and Harry."

Severus frowned, clearly not liking this idea, but he nodded in agreement. He turned to me. "You'll be alright?"

I nodded, feeling all the eyes in the room upon us.

"Are you sure it's alright, Remus?" asked Mrs Weasley. "I did need to get back, but I can stay if you have anything pressing-"

"It's fine, Molly," he said. "I'm sure we'll find things to do."

Mrs Weasley nodded, said her goodbyes and then took her leave.

"Actually," said Lupin suddenly, looking thoughtful. "The library is in complete disarray. I suspect Kreacher has been rummaging through it searching for more of Mrs Black's heirlooms. Perhaps Armilla and Harry will help me return it in a reasonably orderly state."

"How terribly riveting," Severus sneered, looking bored. "I trust that you'll monitor what books are being exposed, Lupin. With the Blacks being an old family I would expect that there are some books upstairs that are not quite appropriate."

Lupin smiled mildly. "I applied a filtering charm long ago, Severus. All restricted books are already out of reach."

I wondered if Severus was mainly referring to the books being inappropriate for Harry. After all, I had been exposed to books on dark curses with pictures that had made my skin crawl. But then, that was to show me what some spells were capable of. Maybe he didn't trust Harry not to be reckless with new spells he knew little about.

Severus nodded curtly. "Very well. I shouldn't be too long."

Lupin nodded. "We'll see you soon."

Severus turned back to me and as our eyes met I felt a lump in my throat. I didn't want him to go. He didn't hold his gaze for too long and he wasn't about to say anything else in front of an audience, but I still felt a little comforted by his look.

As he walked towards the door, Lupin turned his attention to Harry, who was watching Severus and I with fixed scrutiny. "Coming upstairs, Harry?"

Harry gave a tiny shake of his head. "No," he said quietly.

Lupin sighed, looking a little annoyed. "Harry-"

"Do not pressure the boy, Lupin," Severus interrupted, turning around in the doorway. "If Potter prefers to act like a stubborn two-year-old, let him get it out of his system now." He looked coldly at Harry, who was glaring daggers back at him. "But be assured Potter, that this attitude will _not_ be tolerated when I return."

Harry continued to glare at him, but said nothing. Severus looked completely unaffected by this. He looked at me once more before sweeping out of the room, his black robes billowing out behind him. As his footsteps died away, I suddenly felt a huge sense of loss. Merlin, I was _such_ a baby.

"Well then," said Lupin, walking to the door. "We'll go up to the library." He turned around and looked at Harry, his expression unusually stern. "Should you decide to join us, Harry, you know where we'll be."

Harry nodded, looking torn between a desire to just come upstairs to the library with us or sit crossly in the kitchen. It seemed he was determined to do the latter. I had never realised just how stubborn Harry could be; but then, I didn't know him all that well.

I followed Lupin out the door and up the kitchen stairs. As we headed up the main stairs to the first floor, we met a very old house elf wearing a filthy pillowcase coming down them. He reminded me very much of Jiffy, Father's wretched house elf. He paused as he saw Lupin.

"Filthy half-breed in my mistress' house," he said in a crackly voice. "Oh, what would Mistress say, Kreacher wonders."

Lupin passed him. "Beautiful day, Kreacher," he said pleasantly.

Kreacher gave him a look of deep loathing. "Kreacher pretends not to hear the filthy half-breed speaking." His eyes then fell upon me and they widened. "And there is the pureblood the blood-traitor Weasley woman spoke of. Kreacher knows better. Miss Narcissa spoke to Kreacher of the Noble House of Snape, oh yes." He stepped right back on the stairs and as I passed him he bowed deeply.

"Hello Kreacher," I said awkwardly.

Kreacher looked thrilled. "The heiress of the Noble House of Snape does Kreacher proud in speaking to him." He turned and disappeared down the stairs.

I kept walking, now feeling distinctly uncomfortable to hear this in front of Lupin. When I reached him at the top of the stairs he simply smiled. "It seems you have a fan," he said mildly.

"For no good reason," I said simply.

He laughed. "I see you resist the influence of certain pureblood families you no doubt come into contact with now."

"Keeping them at arm's length can be difficult," I admitted, thinking of all the pureblood families who were at Father's dinner party the year before. They were all eager to show off their sons to Father as potential good, pureblood husbands for me.

"I imagine so."

We went up another flight of stairs and I followed Lupin down the hall and into a very large room. The library was certainly far from orderly. There were books all over the many shelves that lined the walls, but many were sticking out, clearly shoved back in without any care. There was a round table with four chairs in the middle of the room. It was covered completely with towers of books. The armchairs in the room were also occupied by books and old newspapers. Clearly, Kreacher aside, no one cared much for this room.

It certainly wasn't an inviting room. The library at home was two-storey and had large windows and everything was neat and methodical, as Severus liked it. This room seemed quite dark as it didn't allow any morning sun in. The peeling, silvery grey wallpaper, coupled with the old, dark green carpet could certainly not be deemed aesthetically pleasing in my view. My mind was swept with a wave of embarrassment as a voice in my own head accused me of snobbery. "_Sod off,"_ I retorted in my mind. Merlin, I was already playing mind games with myself.

"As you can see, I wasn't joking," said Lupin, looking around the room.

"No," I murmured, walking towards the nearest table. I glanced at a few of the titles. _Raphael's Redemption_, _Great Goblin Riots of the 14__th__ Century_, and _How_ _to Tame a House Elf_.

"With a few good spells, hopefully this won't take too long," he said, picking up a book called _Beware! Dangerous Magical Creatures_. He turned back to me. "Don't feel you have to oblige me and help, Armilla," he said quietly. "I was actually trying to get Harry out of the kitchen. I suppose suggesting tidying up the library wasn't the best idea."

I nodded. "Has he been sitting there all morning?"

He nodded grimly, taking out his wand and summoning a group of books off a shelf. "I don't envy your position," he said, glancing over the titles. He waved his wand again and they flew back to the shelf, neatly arranging themselves alphabetically. "I suppose you've been sentenced to the role of innocent bystander for a while."

I smiled, taking out my wand to summon some books as well. "You mean this _won't_ be a tension-free holiday?" I asked sardonically.

He laughed, looking over the titles of the books I had summoned. "I just hope this whole _event_ will provide good results."

I wondered if he meant good results for the Order or good results in improving Harry's reckless temperament. Maybe he meant both.

We spent the next half hour summoning books and magically sending them back to their proper shelves. Lupin taught me a couple of useful ordering spells.

"Severus is very private about his relationship with you," Lupin said quietly, sitting down at the table when we'd finished. He took out his wand and warded it against eavesdroppers. After all, Harry could be anywhere in the house.

I joined him at the table, wondering where he was going with this conversation.

"That's exactly how I expect him to be," he went on, looking seriously at me. "Of course there are the nosier Order members who have their questions, but," he smiled, "I expect you would know how well your brother can bring an abrupt end to conversations he has no wish to discuss."

I nodded. I certainly did.

"I assume that wherever you are in your relationship with Severus," he said slowly, "it was not extremely easy to get there."

I said nothing. I did agree, of course. In the early days I had found it very difficult learning to see Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin as Severus, my older brother and guardian.

"What I'm getting at," he continued, "is that you would appreciate what it was like to be on the other side. You occupied the position of just another Ravenclaw student in Severus' eyes for over four years. You know what it was like to deal with Severus as a teacher only."

Slowly, I nodded. When I had been just another student, I had never had a favourable opinion of my Potions teacher. He had intimidated me to no end.

Lupin paused, looking thoughtful, clearly thinking carefully about how to express himself. "Therefore you would understand the discomfort Harry must be feeling at the moment to have to spend time with this particular teacher in Sirius' house." There was an emptiness to his eyes when he mentioned his old friend's name.

"Their animosity is well known," I said quietly.

He nodded. "Harry's resentment is still strong at the moment. I am hoping that in time, he will come to see the benefit of this."

"I wouldn't expect that any time soon," I said, thinking of Harry's attitude earlier in the kitchen.

Again, he nodded, a sad frown on his face. "I would not ask you to befriend Harry," he said softly. "I am very aware that such a thing is dangerous for you and Severus." He gave a dry laugh. "Actually, if You-Know-Who ceased to exist, I am sure Severus would still have strong feelings against you talking to Harry. Even so," he paused to meet my eye, "even so, I am just asking you to be aware of Harry being a little…vulnerable. He's still grieving and his anger means he's more likely to be a little reckless and temperamental. I don't know what influence you may have over your brother, but perhaps you can be the calm during the several storms I expect to pass through this house."

Oh. Lupin thought I might be able to pass on my rational explanation for Harry's behaviour for every time he and Severus quarrelled.

"I don't think I have that much influence," I said honestly. I could say more, but I respected my relationship with my brother too much. I knew he wouldn't appreciate me discussing this topic with Lupin, though Lupin's intentions were good.

"You never know," he said quietly. He suddenly smiled. "Best of luck to you."

I smiled back. "I think we'll all need it."

o o o o o o o o o

When Severus returned an hour later, I was in my room unpacking. Morag woken twenty minutes ago and was hooting forlornly from her cage. She clearly wasn't impressed with her new surroundings.

"Hopefully we'll get at least a couple of weeks at home before we go back to school," I told her. "This won't be for the rest of the summer. Dumbledore wouldn't do that to Severus."

She gave a muffled hoot and turned the other way. Severus was right at times. She really could be snooty when things didn't go her way. She wasn't the most easygoing of pets. Severus was still doing his best to knock the conceitedness out of her.

Severus came in just as I was closing my empty trunk. He closed the door and, just as Lupin had done earlier, warded the room against eavesdroppers.

"I think I'll be casting that charm frequently over the next few weeks," he said, sitting on one of the beds. He looked around. "I presume you've unpacked?"

"Yes," I said, standing up. "Morag's less than pleased."

He looked over at Morag, who met his gaze unflinchingly. "My deepest sympathies to you," he said dryly.

She blinked at him, hooted and then turned away.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, sitting on the bed opposite him. I was worried about how the Dark Lord would take this new development.

He nodded. "It was purely coincidence that I was called this morning."

"Oh." I felt much better hearing that.

"In regards to this _visit_," he went on, "I need to assure you of a couple of things. The Dark Lord experienced something less than satisfactory to him when he invaded Potter's mind at the ministry last month. He will not be invading Potter's mind again. He is not aware that we are staying at Headquarters and there are charms on our home to deter visitors."

"Is it still necessary to teach Harry Occlumency when the Dark Lord no longer invades his mind?" I asked, surprised that Severus was actually giving me a little bit of information.

"Absolutely," he replied. "Occlumency is a useful skill to possess and it is not only against the Dark Lord that one might require it;" he paused to give me a knowing look, "as you very well know."

I nodded. I had used it the whole time I had been at Father's house, and I had been particularly paranoid about using it at his dinner party.

"The reason I've told you this," he went on, his face very serious, "is that this is to be something strictly kept to Order business. When you return to school, the impression you will give people is that you were home for the duration of the summer. Potter has already been told that his story will be that he went from his relatives' home to the Weasley residence."

"Alright," I said, nodding.

"Well, then," he said, standing up. "I think it's high time we had lunch. Kreacher was preparing something when I was downstairs."

"Is Lupin still here?" I asked.

He shook his head. "While I was speaking with Kreacher, he went up so say his goodbyes to Potter. He has since left."

"Harry had left the kitchen then?"

He rolled his eyes. "I believe he is now wallowing in self pity in his bedroom."

Lupin's words from earlier suddenly echoed in my mind. "I understand the importance of this," I said slowly, "But this must be hard for him, Severus."

He stared back at me stonily, clearly not having anticipated this. "He will have to overcome what grievances he is experiencing," he said finally, his black eyes fixed on mine. His tone wasn't unkind, but they held no warmth either. "Potter must realise that he is not the only one who has suffered loss at the hands of the Dark Lord. Many others have experienced great hardship and will continue to do so. If Potter could only entertain that thought then perhaps he would strive to consider consequences before he acts. Potter fails to think that the Order was in existence long before he was. The fact that the Dark Lord has decided that Potter has a key role in this war does not mean that others do not have roles as well. Many are putting their lives on the line at great personal cost."

"I know," I said quietly, feeling uncomfortable. "You're right. I know that. I just meant that…" I lost my train of thought as I looked into his dark eyes. I had come to love those dark eyes. My point about Harry became lost as I focused instead on how much it would hurt if I could never look in those eyes again. Severus' role in the war did certainly come at great personal cost. He had made it perfectly clear a while back, though, that he felt he owed the Order all the work he did. I didn't agree, but then, I knew little of Severus' life in the years after graduating.

He reached out and ran his hand down my cheek. "I know what you meant," he said softly. "But I would prefer it if you left Potter to me. You may be the same age, but Potter is a very different child. As such, he will require different tactics. It is the long term that we are all concerned about, not the petty bursts of anger he may have now."

I nodded, surprised that he hadn't become angry over my sympathetic stance towards Harry. Perhaps he had expected that I would feel this way. He knew that though I was far from being friends with Harry, I held no scorn for him either.

"Come," said Severus, walking to the door. "We'll have lunch and then I'll start on Potter's lessons afterwards in the drawing room on the first floor." He turned around as we reached the door. "What will you do?"

"I'll start on one of those essays you gave me," I said. "I just need the books from you." Severus had already drawn up numerous research projects and essays to work on while we were at Grimmauld Place. There was no pressure to finish all of them; he had just created a list for me to choose from. I had resigned to the fact that having a teacher for a guardian meant educational holidays. It also meant duelling and learning new magic, so the essays were worth it. Hermione would have loved it.

He nodded. "I'll get them for you after lunch." He took out his wand and took down the charm. "By the way, Professor Flitwick should be by tomorrow morning for your violin lesson. He has a busy day so he should be here straight after breakfast."

"I hope this isn't too inconvenient for him," I said, following him out of the room.

"Not at all. He wouldn't have offered otherwise; anything for a Ravenclaw, Armilla."

I laughed. "I told you we're a wonderful bunch."

He rolled his eyes. "So you keep insisting."

We went downstairs and found the kitchen deserted. The kitchen smelled quite good though, the cause of it being the steaming pot of stew in the middle of the table, which had been set for three. There came a rattling noise in the room off the kitchen.

"Kreacher," Severus called.

The noise stopped and a moment later the old house elf appeared, bowing deeply to Severus. "Kreacher is very happy to have Professor Snape in his home," he said.

"Kreacher, kindly go upstairs and fetch Mr Potter," said Severus, sitting down at the table. "He is expected for lunch."

"Yes, Kreacher is happy to oblige." He bowed again and left the room.

"Having Kreacher around will be interesting," I commented, sitting down next to Severus.

"How so?"

"Since Harry inherited the house then Kreacher is obliged to answer to him. He seems quite happy to do your bidding too though."

He shook his head. "That's only a result of his preconceived ideas of our family."

"It makes things easier though."

"True."

We waited for Harry to make an appearance before serving ourselves. A minute later Kreacher reappeared alone.

"Harry Potter has decided that he will not be eating lunch today," he announced.

Severus cleared his throat. "Kreacher, kindly inform Mr Potter that it is in his best interests to eat lunch and he therefore _will _come down and eat lunch."

"As you wish." Kreacher left the room again.

Severus sighed. "Do you see my point that Potter is completely different to you, Armilla? Refusing to eat lunch because he's not satisfied with his current situation?" He shook his head. "Merlin help me."

I said nothing. I fervently hoped for Harry's sake that he was going to come downstairs. It would not be good if Severus had to go up and get him, which he no doubt would.

The sound of more than one pair of footsteps on the stairs a few moments later assured me that Harry had decided to come down. I turned to see him come to stand in the doorway, his face flushed and his eyes blazing.

"Nice of you to join us, Potter," said Severus, glancing briefly at him before gesturing to the chair in front of him. "Do be seated."

"I'm not hungry, sir," Harry said quietly. "I just came down to tell you that."

"No," said Severus smoothly, fixing his eyes on Harry, "you came down to _eat lunch_. No meals will be skipped, hungry or not. Sit, Mr Potter."

"I can decide for myself if I want to eat lunch," Harry said heatedly, looking furious. "We aren't at school-"

"Astute as always, Potter," Severus drawled. "No, we _aren't_ at school. However, as it has already been made clear to you by the Headmaster, you are my responsibility while you are here and you will therefore do as you are told." He raised an eyebrow. "Now, are you going to sit down and eat or continue to perform the role of petulant child which you seem to enjoy?"

Harry sent him a furious glare. He lingered in the doorway a moment longer before finally making his way over to the seat opposite us, his face full of resentment. He sat down heavily in his chair, glaring at the table.

"If it helps, Potter," said Severus, serving the meal onto our plates, "I am as thrilled to be here as you are."

Harry ignored him, but accepted the plate of stew offered to him in my brother's outstretched hand.

"This will pass quickly," Severus continued, "if you decide to be acquiescent and disciplined in your studies."

Harry glared at him. "Are you going to be fair?"

Severus smirked at him. "Is the world you live in fair, Potter?"

Harry closed his mouth, regarding Severus with a calculating look.

"What you _can_ expect, Potter," my brother went on, picking up his spoon, "is high standards and an expectation that you will live up to them."

Harry shook his head, glaring at him once more. "You would make sure that I fail."

"Be careful, Mr Potter," said Severus coldly, his lip curling with disdain. "I will tolerate no disrespect from you."

Harry continued to glare at him, but said no more. We ate our lunch in silence, the only sound coming from Kreacher, who had made his way back into the little room off the kitchen.

It was clearly a bad start, I thought, but then, I hadn't really expected things to start off well. My brother was annoyed about the whole situation and Harry was bitter. The fact that the two loathed each other certainly didn't help. Lupin was right; I _was_ going to play the role of innocent bystander.

o o o o o o o o o

I didn't see Severus or Harry for the rest of the afternoon. After lunch, Harry had resentfully followed my brother upstairs to the drawing room to recommence Occlumency lessons.

I had helped Kreacher clean up after lunch, for which he was very grateful, before going upstairs myself. On my way up the flight of stairs to the second floor, I had heard muffled, angry voices coming from behind the closed drawing room door. This was not going to go well if Harry continued to be incensed about the whole thing, and Severus was not likely to become caring and understanding where Harry was concerned.

I spent the afternoon in my bedroom working on a Potions essay about the rare innovations in poison antidotes. Severus must have left Harry briefly in the drawing room because I found that he had delivered the books I needed to my room.

By the time I went down to dinner that evening, I had a thumping headache and felt much more tired than I should have. Perhaps the day had been more emotionally draining than anything else; living in a house with such tension was no cup of tea and I had endured mere hours of it so far.

Severus was just sitting down at the table when I entered the kitchen.

"How are you?" I asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Thriving," he said dryly, frowning as he looked at me. "You're pale."

"I have a bad headache," I said, sitting down next to him.

"Did you study the entire afternoon?" he asked, looking displeased.

I nodded. "I was on a roll."

He sighed, though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Armilla, I don't want to have to halt lessons with Potter to make sure you are taking breaks. I would expect you can regulate breaks yourself."

"I can." I really _had _been on a roll. I was very proud of my essay so far.

"Mm, hence the headache," he said, standing up.

"Where are you going?" I asked, watching him move to the door.

"To get a potion for you," he said simply, leaving the room.

I looked back at the table, suddenly aware of the silence in the room. I had passed Kreacher on the stairs, cleaning the banister.

A few moments later I heard footsteps once more and Harry appeared in the kitchen, looking no calmer than he had at lunchtime. Like he had done before, he lingered in the doorway first, taking in the scene before him before proceeding further into the room. I noticed that he was carrying an envelope and a roll of parchment in his hand.

"Hello," I said, realising that I had not spoken to him all day.

"Hi," he said quietly, not quite meeting my eye. He sat down just as Severus came back into the room, his black robes billowing out behind him.

"Here," said Severus quietly, sitting down and handing me a glass with a small amount of purple liquid. "Drink all of it."

"Thankyou," I said, accepting the glass. I felt Harry's eyes on me as I drank the potion. When I set the glass down on the table, I met his gaze and he quickly looked away. He held out the roll of parchment to Severus.

"Hermione gave me this to pass along to you," he said quietly. "She said something about homework."

I smiled to myself. Severus had set Hermione homework at the end of the school year. Hermione had not known whether to be pleased or offended.

Severus nodded and accepted the parchment, setting it down on the table. "Many thanks," he said with a sneer. "When I have a spare two or three hours I shall indulge myself in Miss Granger's novel length waffling."

Harry glared at him. "What's the point in having her do homework then?"

"Watch your tone, Potter," Severus said darkly, narrowing his eyes.

Harry just shook his head, still glaring at him.

"If you want a repeat of what happened this afternoon when you showed disrespect, Potter," said Severus, positively glowering at him, "then by all means keep going."

Harry's face flushed and his glare suddenly disappeared. I looked from Severus to Harry. What had happened during the afternoon?

"Here," said Harry quietly, passing the envelope to me. "It's also from Hermione."

"Thankyou," I said, taking the envelope. I waited for another acerbic remark from Severus and was happy when it didn't come.

We ate dinner in silence, just as we had at lunch. It was almost tolerable to have dinner with Severus and Harry at the same table, especially when they were both being quiet.

"Potter," said Severus, as we finished our dinner, "I want you to spend time this evening practising the occluding tactics I taught you today. I will be by to test your progress before you go to bed."

Harry nodded.

"A verbal answer, if you please."

"Yes, _sir_," he said quietly, his tone laced with mocking resentment.

"Bedtime, of course, will also be regulated while you are here, Potter," Severus went on, standing up from the table. "You will go to bed no later than nine-thirty."

"_Nine-thirty_?" Harry exclaimed indignantly. "I don't go to bed at that time during the school year let alone the summer!"

"You are undertaking a draining amount of magical study, Mr Potter," said Severus sternly. "Whatever time you deemed acceptable before will not hold any value now. You need sufficient sleep in order to make proper progress in your course of study. I have no wish to waste extra days here because you are tired." He glared at Harry. "_Nine-thirty_, Potter, and I will know if you disobey."

Harry sighed and mumbled something incoherent under his breath.

"If you are going to grace us with your speech, Potter," Severus sneered, "Allow yourself to enunciate."

Harry glared at him. "Are you enjoying this power trip, _sir_?"

Oh God… here we go…

Severus didn't answer him straightaway. He was regarding Harry through narrowed eyes, his expression extremely dangerous. If he had looked at me that way I would have fled the scene. I gave Harry credit that he only faltered slightly. The already high tension in the room seemed to double. I wished I could make myself disappear from the storm about to erupt.

"Go to your room, Potter," said Severus softly, his tone as dangerous as his expression.

"No," said Harry, shaking his head. "I've had enough of this-"

"Go to your room, Potter," Severus repeated, his voice louder. "Or I will make you."

"You can't send me anywhere!" Harry shouted furiously, throwing his fork on to his plate with a loud clatter and standing up.

"If you want to behave like a small, petulant child, Potter, then you will be treated as such," Severus said smoothly, his unruffled composure in complete contrast to Harry's clenched fists and red face. "That said, go to your room and stay there. When you are ready to assume a level of decorum acceptable to your age, we will discuss this further."

"No-" Harry began.

"Potter!" Severus snapped. "Keep in mind that while you are here, you are under my care and my authority. If your small, Gryffindor brain can comprehend that much then I suggest that you do as you're told. You may take your childish complaints up with the Headmaster if he chooses to pay us a visit, though I doubt he will be sympathetic when there are much bigger Order issues at hand-"

"Exactly!" Harry shouted, a reckless gleam in his eyes. "There are! You have no idea what responsibility-"

"Do I _not_?" Severus retorted furiously, stepping closer to Harry. "Don't you _dare_ speak to me of responsibility, Potter! You may have responsibility, yes, but you _won't_ be trusted to _be_ responsible until you learn what the Headmaster has entrusted me to teach you! Stop wallowing in how unfair your life is. Either step up and do as you're told or sit here and wallow-" Severus paused to sneer at him, "- If that is to be the case, I will contact the Headmaster and inform him that his golden child can't cope with the idea of a few weeks of training and so has decided to throw a tantrum instead. Let the rest of the Order who put their lives on the line to protect him go to hell."

Harry stared at Severus, utterly dumbfounded. He was breathing heavily, his red face growing redder by the second, though I didn't think it was out of anger anymore. I thought he was more distressed than anything else. Severus had been very harsh; he clearly felt no need to sugar-coat anything for anyone.

"I-" Harry began, his expression now turning slightly desperate. His fists were now shaking slightly at his sides. He looked lost, completely out of his element. He was normally never afraid to backchat Severus; the animosity between them had been well known school-wide since our very first week in First year.

"What is it going to be, Potter?" Severus asked, looking indifferently at the very distressed boy in front of him. "Are you going to your room or am I to contact the Headmaster?"

Harry opened his mouth again but no words escaped him. He blinked a couple of times, clearly trying to keep the weakness of tears from his teacher's sight. He closed his mouth, turned and moved quietly out of the room.

o o o o o o o o o o

A/N I am deeply sorry for taking so long to update. So many things to do, in combination with this being a bit of a tricky chapter. I had it planned for ages, but I wanted to be meticulous in setting up plot things for later chapters.

I've begun to post _Armilla_ and one of my other stories, _Hang On_, on FictionAlley as well as Harry Potter Fan Fiction. If you'd like to view the banners for them (featuring Alan Rickman as Snape, Rachael Leigh Cook as Armilla, Lucy Scott as Hazel Snape and John Noble (in character as Denethor from LotR) as Aurelius Snape, go to harrypotterfanfiction and you'll find it under the same author name.

Please review! CG


	9. Baby

**Chapter 9**

I was very glad to go to bed that night; though I was not really contributing to the unbelievable tension in the house, enduring time with Severus and Harry in the same room was mentally exhausting. If I was drained, I had no doubt that both Severus and Harry needed to go to bed _very_ early. As it was, I had cringed when I had the sound of voices on the floor above me. Severus was probably in Harry's room, testing Harry's Occlumency progress before he went to sleep.

As I got into bed I heard a muffled, but unmistakably angry outburst that seemed to come from Harry. I held my breath, waiting for the sound of Severus giving a cutting response. After a many seconds of waiting, I let my breath out again. I couldn't hear anything. Either Severus had ignored him or was just quietly speaking to him. Severus generally only snapped and spoke loudly when he lost his temper. I wondered what had happened that afternoon when Harry had shown him disrespect; it had clearly been effective because Harry had flushed and stopped glaring when Severus had brought it up at dinner.

I turned out the light, trying to focus on something else instead. Thinking about the two headstrong wizards upstairs seemed to fuel my nerves. I thought about using Occlumency while I was with them in an effort to suppress the effects of the emotionally charged atmosphere that they created between them. The problem was, Severus generally knew when I was occluding and he hated me doing it in front of them. It wouldn't make him feel any better if he knew that being in the same room as he and Harry made me resort to Occlumency.

I knew it wouldn't bother me so much at school; I had seen my brother taunt many a student over the years, including myself. I had seen him target Harry for humiliation and hadn't really thought a lot about it besides the customary compassion that most non-Slytherin students felt towards students targeted by Professor Snape.

I was only feeling affected by their relationship of mutual loathing now because I was the only other person in the house. Seeing as we had only endured one day, I would have to learn to control the anxiety I felt about the situation. I hoped that after Severus' severe lecture following Harry's fit of temper after dinner, Harry would approach the situation with a different attitude.

At the moment I thought it was too much to hope that Severus might be a little understanding, seeing as he had so many justified reasons for being annoyed with Harry's behaviour. I had personally agreed with what Severus had said to Harry. Harry's resentment of the situation was utterly babyish in light of the bigger picture. There were more important things at hand. Harry had seemed to be affected by Severus' words; the tears in his eyes that he had tried to hide were evidence of that.

At the same time, I did feel a little sorry for Harry. He knew, of course, that the Order was dealing with major issues, but that didn't mean he felt comforted and secure with the situation he was currently in, especially seeing as he had just lost his godfather. Though I thought his behaviour was a little childish, I knew in many ways that I was no better; I felt incredibly anxious every time Severus went out; the only time I felt secure and happy was when my brother was close by.

I closed my eyes, letting out a sigh. Severus had told me that these feelings weren't juvenile, but I still thought my attachment to his presence showed an alarming sense of insecurity and childishness on my part. I was not proud of it, but at least it helped me to feel some compassion for Harry. He was in a situation where he felt insecure.

I had nearly drifted off when I heard my door open. I opened my eyes as I heard movement in the room. The dim light from the hall silhouetted my brother's shape. As he had done earlier, he waved his wand to prevent eavesdropping.

"Ready to go home yet?" he asked, sitting down on the bed opposite mine. I could see his face more clearly now. The customary frown was firmly in place.

"No," I said pleasantly. "I am enjoying myself far too much."

He raised an eyebrow. "Very convincing."

I smiled. "I think we'll be here for a while."

"That's an understatement, Armilla," he said grimly. He sighed. "You didn't keep at studying this evening, did you? You did far too much this afternoon."

"Just a bit," I said honestly. "I also spent a while replying to Hermione's letter."

He shook his head slightly. "Well, _there's_ time well spent." He was against my friendship with Hermione, though our communication, even at school, was only occasional. She was more of an 'in the classroom' friend. Severus thought my friendship with her could lead to friendships with Hermione's friends, which he was strictly against. Seeing as I had no particular interest in pursuing firm friendships with either Harry or Ron Weasley, I saw no problem.

I ignored the sarcastic undercurrent to his tone. "It was," I said evenly. "I like Hermione."

"Let's not get into that," he said, standing up. "I don't have the energy for it tonight."

"We don't _need_ to get into it," I said quietly. "We've been over it before."

He glared at me. Maybe I had been a little too forthright. Merle had always told me that I was too blunt. I had thought that I was growing out of the habit…actually, with Severus for a brother, perhaps I was growing back _into_ it.

"Goodnight, Armilla," he said a little stiffly, clearly miffed. He turned to leave before I could reply, but was held back when I caught his hand.

"Yes?" he said curtly, narrowing his eyes at me.

I let go of him and held my arms up expectantly. "Goodnight, Severus," I said softly.

He took the hint, but not before sending me another glare. Merlin, he was crabby. He leaned down and kissed me goodnight.

"Goodnight, _dearest_," he said mockingly, straightening up. "Pleasant dreams."

"Goodnight, Severus."

o o o o o o o o o o

Breakfast the next morning started off as a rather subdued affair. Severus sat reading _The Daily Prophet_, his hand gripping his cup of coffee, while Harry ate quietly, seemingly content to ignore the presence of anyone else in the room. He looked just as pale and tired as he had the day before.

Though the two weren't arguing, I didn't find the silence at all peaceful. On the contrary; I was starting to wish that Severus would abandon his paper in favour of lecturing or dealing out instructions.

As it was, the only sounds came from the rustling of the newspaper and the clinking of cutlery against plates as Harry and I ate our breakfast.

I was almost relieved when Kreacher wandered into the room. The elf seriously needed a good washing. He sent Harry a look of pure loathing as he approached; Harry merely looked indifferently back at him.

"Harry Potter, sir," Kreacher said, sounding as if he was tasting something foul in his throat.

"Yes?" said Harry, not looking at him.

"Professor Flitwick is in the entrance hall, sir. Shall Kreacher show Professor Flitwick down to the kitchen?"

Harry frowned, looking puzzled. "Professor Flitwick?"

"Yes, Potter, Professor Flitwick," said Severus, finally putting his paper aside. He looked over at Kreacher. "Yes, you may show Professor Flitwick down to the kitchen."

Kreacher looked from Severus to Harry, clearly waiting for Harry to confirm this. As much as Kreacher didn't like Harry, he still had to obey his master.

"Yeah, I suppose," said Harry, waving a hand aside.

"Eloquent, as always," Severus sneered, picking up his cup.

Wisely, Harry chose to ignore him.

Kreacher bowed, glared at Harry once more and then made his way out of the room.

Harry turned to Severus. "Why is Professor Flitwick here?" he asked.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon, Potter?"

Harry pursed his lips before trying again. "Why is Professor Flitwick here, _sir_?"

"He is here to teach Armilla, Potter." Severus took a drink of his coffee and offered no more information.

Harry looked over at me. "What's he teaching you?"

I looked over at Severus, not sure whether I could tell Harry or not. There was already an agreement in place that anything that went on during our time at Grimmauld Place was not to be repeated at school or anywhere else. Harry had already sworn allegiance on this matter to Dumbledore. It was in his best interests too.

Severus merely looked back at me, his face expressionless.

"The violin," I said finally.

Harry frowned. "The violin? He's giving you _music _lessons?" He gave me a strange look.

"That's the idea," I said evenly.

Harry shook his head, looking over at Severus. "You lecture _me_ on wasting time when there are bigger issues at hand and yet you approve of _her_," he gestured at me, "receiving violin lessons from another Order member?"

"I believe the young lady sitting across from you has a _name_, Potter," said Severus smoothly, "and I would appreciate you using it." He stood up from the table. "Also, do refrain from gesturing at Armilla. I find it trite and _disrespectful_." He gave Harry a meaningful look.

It seemed that an unspoken message was communicated to Harry through Severus' last word. Harry stared at Severus, his bright green eyes unblinking, before turning back to me. "Sorry," he said quietly.

I nodded, feeling very uncomfortable. I could handle my own tiffs.

The tension in the room was interrupted by the arrival of Kreacher and Flitwick.

"Hello all!" the little man said brightly. "Lovely day outside."

"Good to know," said Severus dryly.

Flitwick turned to me, smiling. "Good morning, Armilla. Violin lessons, eh? Sure you don't want to join to school band?"

"_No_," I said immediately, positively scandalised at such a suggestion. The idea of it scared me out of my wits.

Flitwick laughed and looked at Severus, who had the faintest of smiles on his face. "You're right, Severus, that _was _worth it."

I turned around and glared at my brother. Honestly, he had told Flitwick that I was terrified of being asked to join the band. I noticed that Harry was watching this scene with a slightly incredulous expression.

Completely unaffected by my glare, Severus addressed himself to my Head of House. "Thankyou for coming this morning, Filius."

"Not at all, not at all," said Flitwick, putting a hand up. "I find playing music is so beneficial, and it'll be even more so for Armilla, considering that she's already advanced at the piano."

"How can music lessons be beneficial, sir?" Harry asked quietly. I supposed that Harry had never learned to play a musical instrument and therefore held no appreciation for it.

Flitwick considered him for a moment. "Well, Mr Potter," he said finally. "I have been in this world for a very long time and have lived through many hardships in that time. I never regretted learning to play a variety of instruments as a child. Not only do I adore it, Mr Potter, I find _relief_ in it. Music is a means of escape from the real world. It is also a powerful agent in emotional relief." He smiled, "and besides these very good points, music is also highly enjoyable. I highly recommend it to you, Mr Potter."

Though Flitwick hadn't referred to me at all, I now felt extremely self-conscious at the meaning behind his words. As my Head of House, Flitwick knew a little of what I had been through in the past year. I knew Severus wouldn't have mentioned to him that he thought I benefited emotionally from playing, but I was now wondering if it was Flitwick who had recommended it to _him_.

I hoped that Harry would think that Flitwick was only implying that _he_ should take up playing an instrument. I didn't want Harry to relate Flitwick's words to me. Harry knew very little of my life and I wanted to keep it that way. As it was, Harry didn't even look at Severus or I. He stared back at Professor Flitwick, as if wondering what sort of things _he_ might have gone through to give him such a love for music. Perhaps he would put two and two together later.

Clearly thinking that Flitwick had been forthright enough, Severus went about moving things along.

"Armilla will show you to the library, Filius. I believe the room will be sufficient to your needs."

Flitwick nodded. "Certainly." He turned and nodded to me. "Lead the way."

Without a backwards glance, I got up and led my Head of House out of the room.

"I trust you've been having a good summer with Severus?" Flitwick asked, as we made our way up the stairs.

"Yes," I replied. "I've had a good summer."

"I must say that I was thrilled when Severus agreed to your learning to play a new instrument," he went on. "I understand that Severus is required to be here for Mr Potter's learning, but I was most concerned for your own sake. Being confined to an old house all day, being left alone for hours on end…it cannot be healthy."

"I'm fine," I said honestly. I _was_ fine. My brother always saw to that. Due to the fact that Severus always put up a cold, hard exterior which was very believable, people seemed to think that I would be constantly exposed to that, like they were. It was frustrating at times that I couldn't correct people's preconceived ideas of what life as 'Professor Snape's sister' was like. Most of the students at Hogwarts pitied me.

"Of course, you're fine," Flitwick said lightly. "I would have more to say if I thought you weren't. I like to know that all my Ravenclaws experience safe, happy and hopefully educational summers." He smiled. "I suppose I can make my peace with the fact that one of my brightest Ravenclaws is in the hands of the Head of Slytherin."

I laughed. "I promote Ravenclaw to him all the time, you know. He still doesn't buy it."

He chuckled. "Of course he doesn't. Pomona Sprout and I stay out of the House rivalry between Minerva and Severus. They're excessively competitive with each other."

We made our way up to the library. I had left my violin in there before breakfast.

I gave it to Flitwick to examine. "It's certainly a good one," he murmured, looking closely at it. He looked up at me. "May I?"

I nodded. I hadn't attempted to play it yet.

Flitwick moved it into position and began to play. He played a familiar, classical piece. He closed his eyes as he played, completely lost in the music. The tune was just beautiful. For some reason the image of the Dark Lord in a similar position came to mind and I tried not to smile. I suddenly thought of the Dark Lord conducting an orchestra of Death  
Eaters and tried really hard not to laugh. What was _wrong_ with me? This was serious.

"Now," said Flitwick, as he finished his piece. "Let's begin."

o o o o o o o o o o

Flitwick stayed for a little over an hour. We didn't accomplish a great deal in that time, merely the proper way to hold the violin and learning its parts. So far, I didn't regret selecting the violin.

Flitwick showed himself out, not wanting to disturb Severus and Harry down in the drawing room. He gave me every assurance that he would return at the same time in a few days. In the mean time I was to practise.

I went down to the kitchen to have a break. I didn't want to annoy Severus further with not taking breaks and needing headache potions. I got myself some tea and sat down at the kitchen table. Again, I was conscious of the silence. I was used to a lot of silence at home, seeing as Severus was a busy man and was frequently out of the house, but it was different here. I knew Severus was here, but I couldn't go and spend time with him. The boy who hated him back got to spend time with him.

I didn't really begrudge Harry spending time with my brother; he clearly needed the training after all. I supposed my frustration with the situation came down to the fact that Harry didn't like Severus and still got to spend more time with him than I did. See? I _was _pretty juvenile at times.

I drank my tea as quickly as possible, keen to leave the silence of the kitchen and make myself busy in my bedroom. I returned to my bedroom and took out the essay on poison antidotes I'd been working on the day before. I stared at it for a long time, lost in thought. I didn't know what I actually thought about or even if I thought anything at all. After a while, not realising how long I had been sitting there, but knowing it was long enough, I shook myself out of my reverie and began to work.

Lunch came and went in much the same fashion as breakfast. Harry was silent; Severus was silent and therefore I was silent. It was really one of the _best _lunches I had been to, including the ones with Father and Madam Rougier, my old governess.

Severus had not asked me about my music lesson, but I hadn't really expected him to. I knew that he would ask when we were alone, which would likely be when he came in to say goodnight. I found myself looking forward to going to bed. Goodness, I was a sad creature. I had gotten over the separation anxiety I had experienced in the days after escaping Father over a month ago, but I was still too attached. No one else my age was this dependent. I would have to keep reminding myself that I was sixteen, not six. I had to start thinking like an adult. It would be such a bother for Severus to have to deal with the problems a six-year-old would have, not a sixteen-year-old.

Having finished my first essay that morning, I selected another homework assignment to work on in the afternoon, after finishing more violin practice. If it was possible for an owl to look amused, Morag certainly looked that way as she watched me practise. It was so good to find an encouraging audience in my owl.

I chose some work that would be a bit different to my essay. It was a Transfiguration research assignment. Severus had left me some good books that would help, but I remembered that there was a very impressive Transfiguration selection of books in the library. Lupin and I had looked at them the day before when we had been reorganising the library. It would be good to have a wider variety of references to use. I had plenty of time after all.

I left my bedroom and wandered up to the library. I noticed that I couldn't hear voices coming from behind the closed drawing room door. I wondered what Severus was teaching Harry.

As I approached the library, I let my mind focus instead on what books I wanted. I didn't want to focus on whatever Severus was teaching Harry. I pushed open the door and met a sight I certainly hadn't expected.

"_Concentrate_, Potter," said a very familiar, but cold voice. "If you improve your focus, the ring will release you. I am not holding you there."

Harry was standing in the middle of the room, wand in his hand, a frustrated, but incredibly focused look on his face. His sweaty face was scrunched up in concentration that appeared nearly painful to me. What took my notice was the magical glowing circle shape on the floor around him. He was standing in a glowing ring of a faint, greenish colour. It looked nearly transparent. Harry had his eyes shut tightly and he was breathing very heavily. Nothing was hurting him, but it seemed he was finding his situation very difficult. The sight of him this way made my heart skip a beat. I felt very uncomfortable to have walked in on this.

I saw Severus standing on the other side of the room, arms folded, his wand in his hand, but not aiming at anything. He looked a little surprised at my sudden entrance. Harry, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice my presence; he was concentrating too hard.

I wasn't about to stay a moment longer. I felt too awkward standing there in the doorway, watching the pained expression on Harry's face. Had I looked like that when I had learnt Occlumency? I was pretty sure I hadn't, but then, I hadn't learnt any magic with that strange, glowing ring that Harry was standing inside of at the moment.

Severus opened his mouth to say something to me, but I didn't give him the chance. I was too intent on leaving the site. I turned and hastily left before he could attempt to call me back.

Back in the safety of my bedroom, I closed my door and leaned against it, breathing heavily. I didn't know why I was reacting this way; I hadn't actually witnessed anything traumatic or wrong. Whatever Harry was learning was probably going to be very effective in the long run. Even so, the pained expression on his face kept coming back to my mind.

I had been injured many a time when I had first started to learn duelling with Severus. That had been part of the learning. I had never had more than a couple of scrapes and bruises, and Severus had either healed them himself as soon as we'd finished, or he had supervised as I had healed myself. Though I had received injuries, I had learnt so much defensive magic from Severus. If I hadn't learnt it, I would never have escaped Father's clutches.

I didn't know then why I had reacted to seeing Harry that way. He was probably learning a lot, or would learn a lot if he allowed himself to learn. Maybe it was the fact that if Harry found Severus' style of teaching too emotionally tiring, there would be no one to help him through it. Severus had said the day before that he was not there to help Harry through his emotional grievances.

I believed that I had learnt from him successfully because we had talked a lot about what we were doing and there was an element of care involved; not just care for safety, but a sort of loving care. Harry certainly wasn't about to receive the same level of care from Severus.

I supposed I felt sorry for Harry, not because of what he was learning, but because he was learning such advanced magic _alone_ and in an environment that wasn't stable to him.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in my bedroom, working on my assignment with the books Severus had left. I would seek out the other books when I knew the others wouldn't be in the library. I didn't know why they had been in the library. Harry's lessons had been spent in the drawing room up till then so I had steered clear of that room. I found that I was more content with not knowing what Harry was learning and how he was learning it. Severus had already emphasised to me that Harry and I were very different people, and therefore needed to be taught in different ways.

I went down to dinner that night and as I was going down the kitchen stairs, I heard the voices of Severus and Harry, both already in the kitchen. They were actually talking to each other. It wasn't friendly talk, but they were talking all the same. As I approached the door, their voices became clearer.

"-helpful, Potter. You'll appreciate it when you've conquered it."

"I don't know _how_ to conquer it, _sir_."

"By focusing, that's how."

"Focusing on _what_ exactly?"

"That's for you to decide. You need to take control of your own magic, Potter. You and you alone are responsible for testing your own magical capabilities. It's not about giving things a couple of attempts. You keep trying different approaches until something works for you. I shouldn't have to point such obvious facts out to you."

It was at this moment that I made my appearance in the room. Harry had his mouth open, ready to retort, but stopped when I came in.

Severus also looked over at me, his face expressionless. "Come sit down, Armilla," he said quietly.

I sat in my usual spot, ready for yet another dinner of utterly riveting silence.

"How was your music lesson?" asked Harry, actually meeting my eye for once. I couldn't tell if he was genuinely interested or was just making conversation to break the silence. I supposed he didn't like the silence either. All the same, I didn't really want to discuss the whole lesson with him. I didn't want to remind Harry of Flitwick's philosophy on music; I didn't want Harry to think that I needed music lessons to in order to provide emotional outlets in my life. I did play for enjoyment, but Severus had other ideas about my music. Perhaps Flitwick did too.

"Fine," I answered.

"How long did Professor Flitwick stay?" Severus asked, apparently also happy to make conversation rather than endure yet another silent meal.

"A little over an hour," I replied, looking down at my meal.

Severus didn't push me for further conversation on the subject. Instead, he addressed himself to Harry. "Potter, tomorrow you're going to devote a couple of hours to written study. I have several topics for you to research and I shall expect you to deliver a full report on your discoveries."

Harry frowned. "Written work? I thought I was here to learn _practical_ magic, not theory."

"As usual, you've been labouring under a delusion," said Severus smoothly.

Harry opened his mouth, his expression showing that an angry retort was in the works, but suddenly he thought better of it and closed his mouth.

"Very good," said Severus. "Was that a little self control I just detected?"

Harry replied by glaring at him.

"Well, well, we must be making progress then, though your verbal responses need some work." Severus smirked at him. "As do your research skills, which you will have the opportunity to practise tomorrow."

"How is written work going to help me?" Harry asked pointedly. "It's not like the Dark Lord can be defeated by waving a good essay in his face."

"How incredibly juvenile you are, Potter," Severus sneered. "You and Weasley make a fine pair. You never stop to consider the undercurrents of what you learn. You rush headfirst into trouble, never stopping to think of what or _who_ you're trampling over."

Harry's eyes flashed. "What's that supposed to mean then?" he said heatedly, glaring daggers at Severus.

Oh dear, here we go again…Perhaps silence was golden after all.

"Simply that you need to stop and _think_ once in awhile, Potter," Severus said icily. "Difficult for your _noble_ Gryffindor mind, I know, but as I've repeatedly told you, you can perfect skills with practising."

Harry continued to glare angrily at my brother, but said nothing.

Severus nodded curtly. "I have noted your lack of an aggravated response as progress, Potter, but I can clearly see the expression on your face." He gave Harry a significant look.

Harry pursed his lips for a moment and then sighed, looking away.

"Miss Granger has an extensive amount of magical knowledge, wouldn't you agree, Potter?" Severus asked, briefly glancing at my silent form before looking back at Harry.

Harry looked warily at Severus. "Of course, she does," he said quietly. "It's not always appreciated though."

Severus smirked. "Forget subtlety, Potter. It's not a talent you possess. The lack of appreciation towards Miss Granger's knowledge on my part extends from a reluctance to be beaten around the head with a regurgitation of textbook quotes."

Harry opened his mouth once again to retort, but quickly closed it again.

"Very good, Potter."

This was really confusing me. What was Severus using against Harry that controlled Harry's outbursts? Did it have something to do with that glowing magical ring?

"Tell me honestly, Potter," Severus went on, "how often do you rely on Miss Granger to fill in the gaps with intricate details on things you and Weasley have naturally overlooked?"

"Not that often," said Harry crossly, looking offended.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Potter?"

"Occasionally," Harry admitted.

"At the very least, I'd say," Severus scoffed.

"Well, there's no point in looking up something myself if Hermione already has the answer," Harry pointed out.

Severus shook his head. "An incredibly lazy attitude, Potter, but one I would expect from you."

Harry glowered at him. "That's not being lazy. Do you tell Armilla to look things up when she asks you a question?"

"That is not your business, Potter," Severus said, looking bored, "suffice it to say that Armilla has the sense to carry out her homework tasks independently. She doesn't rely on a friend to copy information from."

"I don't copy information!" Harry exclaimed indignantly.

"We're moving further away from the point," my brother said calmly, his black eyes fixed on Harry's green ones. "Miss Granger has provided you with help in difficult situations in the past, has she not?"

"Yes," Harry admitted sullenly.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Yes, _sir_," he said quietly.

"And how, pray tell, did Miss Granger come across such information, Potter?"

Harry sighed. "Either in class or through more research."

Severus sneered. "Well, _that's_ interesting," he said sardonically. "Miss Granger helped you apply knowledge she learned from _research_."

Harry stared morosely at him.

"How innovative," Severus drawled. "We _must_ alert the Ministry of this new concept."

"Fine, you've made your point," said Harry, looking genuinely annoyed.

"And it took an exceedingly long time," Severus said coldly. "We'll be here for eternity if it takes this long for you to process and understand mundane, fundamental points."

I suppressed my own urge to sigh. Why had the silence bothered me so?

o o o o o o o o o o

Severus went upstairs to the library after dinner with Harry, talking about selecting books that would be appropriate for the work Harry was going to receive.

I practised the violin for an hour before taking a shower. It was only eight-thirty when I was finished, but I found that I was absolutely exhausted. I didn't know why. I wasn't really doing anything to make myself tired this early. If anything, I should have been feeling more rested. If I had been at home, I would have been out flying, duelling with Severus or cooking with Docky. I would have a right to be tired then. Maybe this whole experience was just mentally draining, even though I wasn't the one being trained.

I got into bed and decided to read for a while, waiting for Severus to come in later. He was going to practise Occlumency skills with Harry before Harry went to bed, so I expected him to say goodnight to me after that, as he had done the night before.

At ten past nine, I found myself dozing off. After I read the same page of my book three times without comprehending what I had read, I laid it aside. I wanted to sleep, but I was more intent on waiting for Severus. I laid down, but kept the light on.

o o o o o o o o o o

I opened my eyes with a groan. I really needed to use the bathroom. Why had I had so much water before bed? I reluctantly pushed my covers back and sat up, squinting in the darkness. I didn't want to open my eyes fully because it always took me longer to get back to sleep when I did that. I wondered if Severus was going to come in soon.

I went to the bathroom and came back, noticing that there was complete silence in the house. My foggy mind suddenly became a little clearer when I saw the clock.

_2:34am_

_What? _I had only just closed my eyes while I waited for Severus to come in. I sat back down on my bed, feeling disappointed. Severus must have turned the light out. He would have seen no point in waking me.

I sighed. All the same, I wished he _had_ woken me. I missed him. We were living in the same house and I missed him.

_Baby_, a voice in my head said. I didn't disagree.

I was about to pull the covers back up when I heard a sudden thumping noise. Perhaps Kreacher was redecorating in the middle of the night. I laid back down, content to ignore it when I heard a muffled, moaning sound. That certainly hadn't come from Kreacher.

I got up and padded to the door. Upon opening it, the noise, though still muffled, became louder. It was coming from upstairs. Harry was clearly having bad dreams; either that or he had somehow injured himself.

I lingered in the doorway for a moment, uncertain about what to do. The distressed noise continued and I didn't want to ignore it. It was painful to listen to and besides, there could be something seriously wrong.

I wasn't about to go up there myself; Severus would be far from impressed if I wandered up to Harry's room in the middle of the night, no matter what the reason.

I took a step in the direction of Severus' room, which was just down the hall from mine. I paused, considering the repercussions of this action. I honestly wasn't sure what Severus would do. If I had been distressed, as I had been once before late at night, Severus would have come in to me, as he had done before. But this was Harry Potter, the boy who held the honourable position at the top of Severus' long list of loathed students.

Would he just tell me to ignore Harry and go back to bed? Would he go upstairs to Harry and tell him to stop ruining everyone else's sleep with his incessant attention seeking?

I took a step back, staring up at the ceiling, somehow hoping it would offer guidance. A muffled sob suddenly reached my ears and I took another step back. Severus would _not_ be sympathetic to a crying Harry Potter.

I stood in the hallway, shivering in the cold. The noise stopped and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was about to turn back to my room when I heard the thumping noise again. What was he doing up there? Was he asleep?

I made up my mind and walked the rest of the way down the hall to Severus' room. I reached up and knocked softly on the door. When I heard no response I knocked a little louder.

"Severus?" I called quietly.

I heard movement behind the door this time, and a moment later the door opened to reveal a slightly dishevelled Severus, pulling on a black dressing gown. Understandably, he looked half asleep.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking concerned.

I opened my mouth to answer, but a thump from upstairs followed by a muffled sob answered for me.

Severus looked up, an irritated look forming on his face. "Potter," he said quietly.

"Something's wrong," I said softly.

"Obviously," he replied, looking back down at me. "Why are you up at this time of the night?"

"Bathroom," I said simply. We both looked up at the sound of another thump.

"Well then, we'll see about this," said Severus, coming out into the hallway.

I looked hesitantly at him, wanting to tell him not to make Harry feel bad about whatever was going on upstairs; Lupin's words from the day before about understanding Harry kept echoing in my mind. At the same time, Severus was never in the mood to be told to be nice to Harry. I didn't want to make things worse for myself. He hadn't been happy when I had brought an abrupt end to the Hermione-related conversation the night before.

I didn't know if Severus guessed what I was thinking, but he looked a little more edgy as he looked back at me.

"Go back to bed, Armilla," he said quietly. He turned and walked towards the stairs. "I see you in the morning."

I watched him disappear up the stairs and I didn't know why I suddenly had a lump in my throat. I leaned against the wall, trying to ignore the feeling that I was being babyish yet again. I had no reason to feel like this. He was only going upstairs.

After several minutes of lingering in the hallway, doing nothing but blinking back tears in the darkness, I noticed that the noise from upstairs had stopped. I moved slowly back to my bedroom and crawled into bed. For no reason whatsoever, except for the fact that I was a childish idiot, I cried.


	10. Don't Hold Back

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

**Chapter 10**

After I went back to bed I had a very unsettled rest. I was ashamed to think that I had cried for a good half hour before I had fallen asleep. I had gone back to bed in a rather crabby, upset state. For some reason I had felt angry with Severus and at the same time all I wanted was for him to come in to me after seeing Harry. But he hadn't.

The rational voice in my head, which hadn't seemed to be getting through a lot in the last day or two, reminded me that I had woken Severus up in the middle of the night; he'd been half asleep himself. He was tired and was working hard; I should give him a break and spare my own feelings.

I felt awful that I was feeling anger and frustration towards him. He was doing the best he could, wasn't he? He had organised violin lessons for me. He had been coming in at night to talk to me. It was my own fault that I had fallen asleep the night before and had missed him.

I kept waking every hour or so and by the time five-thirty came I decided to just get up and go on with some of the homework Severus had given me.

I was tired and I wasn't in the mood to study; after only a couple of days of it I was surprised that the thought of it annoyed me. Perhaps it was because I hadn't been doing much else, or maybe it was because I wasn't studying with anyone. At school, Lisa, Terry and I generally sat together to do our homework, sharing our grievances about the tasks set. Having nothing else to do though, I got dressed and organised the things I needed to go on with my unfinished task. It was the one I had wanted to get books from the library for the previous day. After walking in on Severus teaching Harry, I had never gone back for them.

Actually, I still hadn't spoken to Severus alone since then. I had fallen asleep the night before waiting for him. Waking him up to tend to Harry didn't really count. I didn't know what I had really expected, but just watching him go upstairs to Harry with very little to say to me had made me feel…I didn't really have a word for it. Emotional? I wasn't sure _what_ I felt. Se many feelings seemed to be jumping in and out of me at a rapid pace lately. It wasn't a good sign that I was already sick of our living situation. I wanted to go home. I _hated_ being here. The idea of spending at least another couple of weeks here made me feel agitated. I wanted to go _home_. Docky was there. A bed that was _mine_ was there. I didn't have to alternate my day between studying and violin practice there.

True, Severus was in both places, but due to our location and Harry Potter's presence, Severus wasn't quite…_Severus_ here. I smiled grimly to myself, thinking of the conversations that had taken place at our meals. Severus was more _Professor Snape_ here. Not to me personally, of course, but because I generally only saw him in Harry's presence, it seemed he was always in full professor mode. It made me uncomfortable.

I wondered how Harry was. I hoped he was alright. Having his most hated teacher come to find out what was going on mustn't have been a nice surprise, though I didn't regret waking Severus. I hadn't known what the thumping noise was; Harry could have injured himself and I didn't think it likely that he would have sought out Severus for help.

I opened one of the reference books Snape had left and stared at the page, not really seeing what was there. After a moment I realised that a cup of tea seemed much more appealing than studying. We'd been eating breakfast at about seven-thirty, so I still had a while before I had to endure another meal with the combined company of Severus and Harry.

As I made my way down to the kitchen, I nearly ran into Kreacher coming up the stairs with a rag in his small hand. He bade me good morning and then disappeared around the corner.

I walked into the kitchen and stopped abruptly when I saw that I had not been the only early riser. Severus was sitting at the table, a steaming cup sitting in front of him. _The Evening Prophet _from the night before was on the table, but he didn't seem to be reading it. I saw that there was already a teapot, cups and some food on the table. It seemed Kreacher also catered for the early risers.

Severus looked up at the sound of my footsteps, a frown on his face. When he saw it was me, the frown didn't disappear.

"What are you doing up so early?" he asked. "It's not even six yet."

"I woke up early," I said simply, joining him at the table. For some reason I felt nervous. This was the first time in over a day that I was actually alone with him and I didn't have anything to say. Yesterday I'd had more things I wanted to talk to him about. Now…I wasn't sure what I felt. I had become accustomed to seeing _Professor Snape_ the day before. I reminded myself that when it was just the two of us he could be _Severus_, the man I could feel completely as ease with.

"Clearly," he said, pouring me tea. He placed the cup on the table in front of me and then pushed a plate of crumpets towards me. "You don't normally wake so early," he commented, as I took a crumpet off the plate.

"No," I admitted, reaching for the jam.

He looked expectantly at me, his dark eyes fixed on mine.

"I suppose I'm not accustomed to being here yet," I said quietly.

"Indeed." Whether he thought my excuse was plausible or not he didn't say. Instead he took a sip of his coffee.

Of course, the real reason for waking so early from interrupted sleep had much more to do with my anxiousness about my situation rather than being unaccustomed to it. I felt frustrated with Severus, though it wasn't really his fault; it was just me feeling fed up already. All I wanted to do was go home, but I couldn't admit that to Severus; it wouldn't help. Anyway, I was sure he wanted to go home as much as I did.

Severus was silent as I began to eat. I wasn't really hungry, but it was something to occupy me. After a few minutes of silence, Severus took out his wand and warded the room. Placing his wand on the table, he turned to me.

"Thankyou for alerting me to Potter's situation last night."

"What happened?" I asked.

"He was obstinate in regards to outlining what had happened," he said, "but I eventually found that it was a combination of bad dreams and a desperate bout of grief."

His indifferent expression as he said these words bothered me. We both knew what it was like to lose people we were close to; couldn't he admit that Harry was grieving without the coldness in his voice?

"And the thumping?" I asked quietly.

"Throwing items out of his trunk," he replied, also reaching for a crumpet. "He also cut himself on a broken mirror."

"Oh." A _mirror_? "Is he all right?"

"Yes, he's fine," he said shortly. "As he _should_ be; I won't take any excuses for a lack of effort today."

I looked back at my breakfast, feeling uncomfortable.

"I believe," Severus went on, "that we haven't yet spoken of your sudden appearance in the library yesterday."

"There hasn't been a moment to talk about it," I said quietly, trying to keep the moodiness I felt out of my voice.

"You seemed a bit flustered." He was looking expectantly at me again.

"I didn't expect to see you there," I said honestly. It _had_ been unexpected, though my flustered state had been drawn from the magical ring Harry had been standing in. It still seemed strange to me.

"Was that the only reason?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. My discomfort seemed to grow. He seemed…_distant_ somehow.

"It's not my business to ask what you were teaching Harry," I said, looking away.

Severus looked unfazed. "We need to work on your subtlety, Armilla," he said smoothly. "That was appalling."

I gave him a small smile.

"Suffice it to say," he went on, a tiny smile on his face to return mine, "as I have told you before, Potter requires different teaching practices to you. Do not feel as if I am teaching Potter things I have never taught you. The objectives of what I am teaching him are, in essence, the same as those I have taught you; it is merely the teaching strategies that differ."

I nodded, still feeling a little uncomfortable. "What was that ring thing he was standing in?" The image of Harry from the day before, standing inside the magical ring, the utmost concentration on his face, was still bothering me.

"A means of developing self control," he said simply, "and a way of learning Occlumency at the same time."

"How?"

He smirked. "When Potter expresses his…_displeasure_ of his situation, which I assure you, was initially quite frequently, I cast the magical ring around him. That is all I do; I leave the rest up to him."

I stared at him, confused. "But what's it doing to him?"

He shook his head. "It's not _doing_ anything to him. It's quite harmless really, though it must give him a sense of being restricted, considering it doesn't allow him to move _outside_ the ring." He picked up his coffee, an air of indifference about him. "I leave it up to Potter to make the ring disappear of his own accord."

I watched him drink his coffee, starting to feel a little annoyed. It seemed like I had to pry everything out of him.

"Did you tell Harry how to make the ring go away?"

"No," he said, putting his cup down, "that would defeat the object."

"The object being?"

"My amusement."

I opened my mouth and closed it again. He _enjoyed _watching Harry struggle? I didn't know why I felt surprised. _Of course _Severus enjoyed seeing Harry struggle.

"Does he know how to defeat it now at least?" I asked quietly, feeling a little annoyed.

"He does," he replied, frowning slightly. "After spending a couple of hours trapped inside it, he worked it out."

"I suppose it has something to do with controlling emotions?"

He inclined his head, his frown still in place. "It does. The ring does not free him until it can detect an appropriate level of calmness. When he has his anger episodes, I trap him inside it and then we have to wait it out. Potter is slowly learning to control his temper."

"And you developed this charm?" I asked.

He nodded. "I did."

Well, it _was_ a pretty effective idea, even if Severus _did_ enjoy watching Harry struggle. I was torn between complimenting my brother on a great charm and being annoyed with him for being mean to a grieving Harry Potter.

"I didn't expect you to approve, Armilla," Severus said, after a moment's silence.

"If it's advantageous to him then that's all that matters," I said resignedly.

"Ever the diplomat," he drawled.

"Someone has to be," I said, without thinking. _Damn_. I mentally berated myself for not keeping my thoughts to myself. What had gotten into me? I could normally control what came out of my mouth. _You idiot, Armilla_.

Severus was glaring at me, clearly unimpressed. "Is there something you would like to talk about, Armilla?" he said sharply.

I shook my head.

"A _verbal_ answer."

"No," I said quietly. Great Merlin, what had I done? Harry was already doling enough to bring out the foul mood in Severus; it seemed like I was now doing my fair share. _Keep your comments to yourself._

He nodded curtly. "Let it remain that way," he said sternly.

_In other words, mind your own business and keep out_. I shifted uncomfortably. For once I couldn't blame the tension in the room on Harry's presence.

I finished my breakfast in silence, not interested in making any more conversation with an irritable Severus. Severus kept himself busy with his newspaper, apparently content to ignore me while I ate.

"May I be excused?" I asked. I had no reason to remain at the table. Severus still had an ill-tempered expression on his face, though whatever he was reading may have also been contributing to that.

"No you may _not_," he said firmly, laying down the paper. "I have not yet discussed with you what you are doing today."

_I'm keeping myself busy, as usual_, I thought dryly. I mentally congratulated myself for not saying it out loud.

He pushed the paper away from him and looked over at me, the customary frown still in place. "You have not yet told me how your first violin lesson was."

"It was fine," I said quietly.

"Fine?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Is that all the information you are going to give me?"

"I wasn't going to bore you with the intricate details of a music lesson," I said indifferently.

"Would I have asked otherwise?" he snapped, looking irritated.

I was silent for a moment. Was it him or was it me? Who was causing it? I knew I wasn't in the best of moods, so maybe it was me. We couldn't seem to have a peaceful conversation this morning.

"Professor Flitwick showed me the way to handle the violin," I said finally, "as well as some chords."

"And did you enjoy it?"

I nodded. "Yes. I'll keep practising this morning."

He sighed, suddenly looking weary. "Remember that the purpose of this it that the violin is meant to provide a release from work, not an addition to work."

"I know," I said, feeling irritated. "Professor Flitwick pointed that out yesterday in front of Harry."

Severus' frown became more pronounced. "When he mentioned his philosophy about playing music? He wasn't directing his theory towards you alone, Armilla."

I shrugged. "Just the same, it made me feel like I'm only having these lessons because of some emotional release problem."

"If you want to think that way, then it's up to you," he said shortly.

I looked away, feeling embarrassed. Severus hadn't denied what I said; I felt like a nutcase. I swallowed the rather large lump that had just settled in my throat.

He sighed again. "You are having these lessons for enjoyment, Armilla, and through that enjoyment it is natural that any mental tension is released." He reached out and touched my arm so that I would look back at him. His black eyes were fixed intently upon mine. "It is not about you having an emotional problem, Armilla. You know that you are to come to _me_ with problems, not the violin. I do believe music is beneficial for you, but it is only short-term relief if you were using it for an emotional reason."

"So you _do_ think I need it for an emotional reason," I said dejectedly, looking away again.

"Armilla, look at me."

I looked back at him to find a stern expression on his face. "The moment you lose enjoyment of the violin," he said quietly, "you have my full permission to cease playing it. Understood?"

I nodded, suddenly feeling silly. "Yes."

"We'll have a lesson late this afternoon," Severus said, changing the subject. "I want to start exploring your resistance to spells that have significant magical force. Your mental shield's resistance to Father's Cruciatus curse last month has opened up a window for more exploration."

"You have an idea of how to explore it without actually using the curse then?" I asked, very interested.

He nodded. "I've thought about it. We just need to experiment; I'll go over the details of it with you this afternoon.

A rush of happiness within me seemed to come out of no where. I knew it wasn't just from the idea of experimenting with defensive magic with Severus; it had more to do with actually having allocated time with him. I was _so_ juvenile.

o o o o o o o o o o

After breakfast I made my way up to the library to finally borrow the books I had wanted the day before. On my way up the second flight of stairs, I met Kreacher coming the other way carrying a dirty rag that seemed to be bulging from the weight of whatever it was concealing.

"Good morning, Miss Armilla," he said, bowing.

"Good morning, Kreacher," I replied. I went to move past him, but my curiosity of what he was so secretly concealing held me back.

"What have you got there?" I asked kindly.

Kreacher turned and regarded me for a moment, his large eyes calculating. "Kreacher has been cleaning the house, Miss Armilla," he announced.

I stared at him. "So…you're disposing of the rubbish then?"

Kreacher shook his head. "Kreacher has been cleaning the house. He is also collecting Black family possessions and concealing them from unworthy eyes and hands."

"Unworthy?" I repeated. "Your master, Harry Potter?"

"Kreacher does not speak ill of his master," Kreacher said begrudgingly, his expression showing exactly what he thought of his master. "Kreacher is speaking of the likes of Mundungus Fletcher."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Mundungus Fletcher is not worthy enough to be taking Black family heirlooms," Kreacher spat, his little knuckles turning white as he clutched his treasure to his chest. "Oh, Kreacher wonders what his dear mistress would say."

"He has stolen from here then?" I was appalled. I knew Merle hadn't like Mundungus and I knew Severus had an extremely low opinion of him, but to steal from a dead man's house?

Kreacher nodded. "Kreacher was catching him in the act, Miss Armilla. Now Kreacher strives to be extra cautious. Kreacher is moving heirlooms to secret spots."

"May I see what you have?" I asked, gesturing at the bulging, dirty rag in his hands.

Kreacher hesitated before complying. He carefully unwrapped the rag and pulled out a small, old mirror. It looked like a simple mirror to me, but maybe it had once been special to someone else.

"A mirror?" I said, looking expectantly at Kreacher.

"A very important mirror," Kreacher replied, nodding fervently. "Kreacher was finding this in Master Sirius' bedroom." His face contorted with dislike. "May he rest in _peace_."

I ignored him. I had suddenly been struck with the memory of something Severus had said at breakfast. Harry had cut himself on a _mirror_. Obviously not this mirror; there were no jagged edges, but there was something strange about this.

"What do you know about this mirror, Kreacher?" I asked conversationally.

"Kreacher is knowing a lot, Miss Armilla," he answered. "This is a two-way mirror. It is one of a pair. People can converse through looking in the mirrors."

That was useful. It sounded a little like the way Severus and I communicated through our chocolate frog cards, except that we couldn't see each other. "Do you know where the other is?" I asked.

Kreacher nodded. "Oh, yes," he said, disdain spreading across his face, "Kreacher is knowing where the other is."

"Who has it?"

"My master, Harry Potter."

Well this was interesting. Perhaps the mirror Harry had cut himself on was the other part of the pair.

"How did Harry come by it?"

Once again, Kreacher's face filled with disgust. "Kreacher's old master, Sirius Black, gave the mirror to his _precious _godson for Christmas."

"So Harry would still have the other," I said to myself.

Kreacher wrinkled his long nose. "Kreacher is not knowing if Harry Potter still has the other mirror; Harry Potter has forbidden Kreacher to enter his bedroom."

"I see." Harry probably felt the same way about Kreacher as I did about Father's house elf, Jiffy.

"Do you mind if I look after this for you, Kreacher?" I asked kindly. "You seem to have so many things to guard."

Kreacher probably saw right through my words; he cocked his head to the side and regarded me with a shrewd look.

"Miss Armilla can take good care of the mirror? _Kreacher _is good at protecting Black possessions."

"But remember that Miss Armilla is a _pureblood_, Kreacher," I said, hating myself for pointing out what I knew was a distinction in Kreacher's eyes. "I know how to take care of possessions that belong in noble, pureblood families. We don't want them falling into the wrong hands, do we?" Merlin, I hated how sly my voice sounded. _You Slytherin, Armilla._

Kreacher nodded knowingly. "Very well, Miss Armilla. Kreacher trusts Miss Armilla implicitly. Kreacher will give you the mirror to guard." He held it out for me to take, as well as the dirty rag.

"Thankyou," I said, taking it from him and wrapping it up again. I felt awful for being so manipulative, but I didn't think Kreacher should have it. I knew who should have it. Maybe Harry had been trying to communicate with Sirius Black the night before. But how did the mirror get broken? If it was something so valuable, surely Harry would be extremely careful with it…

Kreacher went on his way and I made my way to my bedroom instead of the library. I put the mirror away in a drawer and sat down on my bed. My eyes immediately fell upon my violin case, sitting atop the dresser. I sighed. I itched to practise it, though I resented the fact that my brother thought I _needed_ it. Sighing again, I stood up and took the instrument out of its case. It really was beautiful and I loved the sound it made. I smiled as I ran my fingers down it. Without further ado, I put it into position and began to practise.

Not two minutes later, I had the sudden impression that I was not alone. I looked up and nearly jumped when I saw Severus leaning against the doorframe, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Have long have you been there?" I asked, putting the violin down on the bed.

"Long enough to convince myself that I haven't wasted money on buying it for you," he said with a smirk.

I smiled. "I only know a few chords."

"You have to start somewhere," he said dismissively, "and you seem to have grasped it quite quickly."

"I do enjoy it," I admitted. "I'll enjoy it more when I can play it properly."

"Patience is a virtue, Armilla," he replied, looking out into the corridor as we heard footsteps. His expression suddenly became menacing as he saw who was coming. I assumed from the look that it was Harry. "As I frequently tell Potter."

Harry stopped outside my door next to Severus, looking puzzled. I noticed that his right wrist was wrapped with a bandage. A few fingers on his left hand also had bandaids on them. "What?"

Severus gave a long suffering sigh. "_Pardon_, Potter, not _what_. Your manners are appalling."

Harry grimaced. "Pardon, _Professor_?" he said disdainfully.

Severus sneered. "I frequently tell you that patience is a virtue. You may have forgotten that though, considering I also tell you so many other things. You have so many character traits that need improvement."

Harry opened his mouth in anger to retort, but suddenly thought better of it. Instead he looked over at me, as if hoping I would somehow change the subject.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Well done, Potter," he said simply, "nice to see some control so early in the morning."

Harry looked back at him warily, as if waiting for an insult to follow the approving words.

None came. Instead, Severus made a shooing motion. "Go and eat breakfast, Potter. Meet me in the drawing room in fifteen minutes."

"Yes, sir," Harry muttered. He turned and disappeared down the corridor.

Severus turned back to me. "And what are your plans for this morning?"

"I might keep practising," I said, gesturing at the violin. "Then I'll go on with one of the research tasks."

He nodded. "Very well then. I will see you at lunch." He turned and left, his black robes billowing out behind him. I smiled to myself; I wondered if he secretly enjoyed the effect of his billowing robes.

o o o o o o o o o o

When I went down to lunch I was in reasonably good spirits. Though Severus and I had had a shaky start to the day, we had parted after breakfast on better terms. I felt even happier at the thought of finally having my own lesson with him before dinner.

When I went into the kitchen I found Harry there all alone. He was sitting with his head in his hands, but looked up at my footsteps. The frown on his face remained in place as I sat down at the table.

"Hi," I said, reaching for a serviette.

"Hi," he mumbled, not meeting my eye.

We sat in an awkward silence, waiting for Severus to come. Harry looked furious about something. He stared irritably at the wall, his face a little red and his lips pursed.

This did not bode well. If Harry was angry, it was likely Severus would be too. Without a doubt, one of them had said or done something offensive that morning.

Before long I decided that I could stand the silence no longer, whether Harry was angry or not.

"What did you do to your hand?" I asked softly, playing ignorant. I didn't think Harry would appreciate it if he knew that Severus had told me about his injury.

Harry abruptly broke his gaze away from the wall. He stared at me a moment before answering. "Cut it," he said shortly.

"How?"

"On a broken mirror."

"Oh."

Harry looked away again, looking moodily at the wall once more.

"How did the mirror get broken?" I asked.

"I broke it myself, okay?" he snapped, sending me a furious glare. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes," I said, looking indifferently back at him. "Why would you break a mirror?"

"Because I _felt _like it," he said, glowering at me. "Mind your own business."

"Fine," I said coolly. I suddenly had second thoughts about giving the other mirror to him, but I pushed them away. I was sure Harry's anger was mainly directed at Severus. It was probably easier to snap at me to let anger out. Or maybe I _had_ seemed prying.

Severus swept into the room a few moments later. To describe his expression as incensed would have been an understatement. His black eyes glittered dangerously as he looked at Harry before sitting down. Harry returned the glare whole-heartedly.

I didn't ask what had happened; I didn't really have to. Obviously one of them had said something incredibly stupid and unnecessary, and it had resulted with the other being thoroughly offended and resentful. I couldn't tell who the perpetrator was; all I knew was that both were looking extremely ill-tempered.

Lunch was a quiet affair once again. The tension was unbelievable. When Harry's utensils made too many clinking noises on his plate, Severus gave him an infuriated glare. From then on, I focused on not doing the same thing.

When we got up from the table, Severus irritably told Harry to meet him in the drawing room in another half hour. In the meantime he was to go on with his other work in the library. Severus left the room without a backwards glance. He hadn't spoken to me once through lunch; the fact that he did not even to acknowledge me on the way out kind of hurt. I knew he was angry with Harry, but he could at least speak to me. I hadn't done anything.

Harry also left the room without a backwards glance. I was left alone in the kitchen. "Thankyou for a lovely meal," I muttered to myself.

I made my way upstairs, wondering if I really wanted a lesson with Severus later that afternoon when he was clearly in a foul mood. Maybe, if luck went my way, he would have cooled off by then. I knew that was not realistic thinking though; Severus generally stayed angry for a while.

I had nearly reached my room when I saw Severus coming the other way, looking thoroughly ill-tempered.

"Four-thirty, Armilla," he said, as he passed. "Drawing room."

I turned and watched as he disappeared around the corner, not waiting for an answer. _My morning was fine, thankyou. Yes, I am making progress with my work. Yes, I look forward to meeting you in the drawing room later._

Shaking my head, I berated myself for thinking in such a way. Yes, he was angry, but I had come here expecting him to be like this. I knew it would be hard for all of us. _That doesn't mean you have to like it._

When I went into my room I went straight to the drawer that held the mirror Kreacher had entrusted to me that morning. I knew I wasn't likely to see Harry alone very often. I generally only saw him alone very briefly, before or after a meal. Severus was obviously going to ignore him until they were due to meet for their next lesson. I had to do it now.

I took the mirror out and left the room, heading towards the library, where Severus had ordered Harry to be. I walked very slowly, still unsure if I really wanted to give it to him. I was annoyed with Harry for being annoyed with _me_. He didn't have the right to be rude to me just because he hated Severus. Even so, I supposed he was the rightful owner of the mirror, and if it made him feel any better, then that was a start. If he felt anything for Sirius like what I had felt for Merle then I knew he would be suffering greatly. I would rather the mirror be in Harry's possession rather than in Kreacher's or Mundungus Fletcher's.

_But Harry is reckless. The mirror could be useful. What if Harry does something reckless again?_ I shook my head. It wasn't like he was about to carry around a broken mirror when he knew the person who had owned the other was dead.

I sighed, quickening my pace. The sooner I gave it to him the sooner I could stop worrying about whether I was doing the right thing. I had doubt in my mind, but I pushed it away.

I pushed open the door to the library to find Harry hunched over a parchment and an open book. He was concentrating on something, a deep frown on his face. He looked up as I came in.

"Have some free time on your hands, do you?" he said resentfully, his frown deepening. "Bet you're having an easy time here."

"No," I said simply, stopping a few metres away from him. "I'm not."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, excuse me. How much free time do you have? If you're actually having _violin_ lessons then I suppose you're having a rather easy time of it." He shook his head slightly, his green eyes bright with anger. "Not that I envy you, of course; I suppose having such an _unfortunate_ relation must bring you a great deal of _grief_."

I pursed my lips, biting back my retort. I couldn't very well punch him on the nose as I felt very inclined to do at that moment; nor could I announce to the room that I loved my brother more than anyone else in the world. Severus would _not_ appreciate that being declared in Harry's presence especially.

Instead, I calmly stepped forward and placed the wrapped mirror on the table in front of Harry. "I came in here merely to pass this on to you," I said coolly, taking a step back. "I managed to get it off Kreacher for you because I thought you would prefer to take possession of it." I did my very best Severus-like sneer. "But now I'm not sure why I even bothered."

Harry stared at me before looking down at the dirty parcel in front of him. He slowly reached out and unwrapped it. When he saw the mirror, he paled considerably. His hands shook as he stared at his own reflection.

"Why-," he stammered, "-why did you think I would prefer to have this? How did you know it was important?"

I folded my arms. "I have my ways," I said indifferently. "I jumped to conclusions rather quickly as to its significance. I also came to the conclusion rather quickly that you would want it."

He nodded, not meeting my eye. "Yes."

"You're welcome," I muttered dryly, turning on my heel. I left the room without waiting for a response. I wasn't sure I would receive one.

o o o o o o o o o o

Two hours later I was to be found in my bedroom once more, staring at a bunch of reference books for inspiration on a research project. I was bored. I was tired of studying. I wanted to go out and fly. I wanted to see my friends. I wanted to go outside and breathe fresh air. I didn't want to be stuck in this house any longer.

Every time I felt this way, I tried to convince myself that I merely needed a strong cup of tea. Merle had always offered one when I had become crabby over childish things. She would also include a gingerbread wizard as a treat. I smiled grimly as I moved to the door; I wondered if Severus would ever offer me a gingerbread wizard. I would bet a thousand galleons on the negative.

As I opened my door, I heard raised voices coming from the drawing room. I couldn't hear exactly what was going on, but my brother was _very_ annoyed about something. I cringed as I heard Harry shouting back at him. A moment later I heard a door open and slam closed. I quickly closed my door and hurried back to my work. I didn't want to be in the corridor if an irate Severus was on the warpath. A couple of seconds later I heard quick footsteps passing by.

I guessed that Severus had left Harry along inside the magical ring in the drawing room. It really was an ingenious idea; Harry would have to calm himself in order to be released. Merlin, he could be in there for hours… I smiled to myself as I thought of what Severus would say if I cast the charm on _him_. Not doubt he would break it very quickly, but he would _not_ be amused.

I gave up the idea of going down to the kitchen for a cup of tea. I didn't fancy meeting Severus there. I would rather avoid him when he was in such a mood. Instead I went back to my work, boring myself to tears.

Not ten minutes later there was a sharp knock on my door.

"Come in."

The door opened and Severus stood in the doorway, looking tired and _very_ out of sorts. "Come with me," he ordered brusquely, turning on his heel.

Feeling more than a little anxious, I got up to follow. I had to hurry to keep up with his brisk strides. He didn't say a word as we walked. His face was set in a grim expression.

We went up to the library. Severus immediately cast a range of charms to ward off intruders and eavesdroppers.

I stood near the door, wishing that I was back in my bedroom with my boring work. I was guessing that we were starting our lesson early. I _didn't_ want to do a lesson with Severus in a mood like this.

Severus turned to face me. I personally thought he needed a good nap. His face was drawn and paler than usual, making his black eyes stand out even more.

"I thought we'd start our lesson a little early," he said quietly, running his fingers along his wand.

I nodded. Best to be quiet when he was in a foul mood.

He raised an eyebrow. "You'll be needing your wand."

I took my wand out, not letting my annoyance show on my face. _No need to be snarky, Severus._

"Let's do some duelling first," he said, raising his wand. "Raise your mental shield and use it to ward me off." He immediately attacked non-verbally.

Thankfully, used to this sort of thing, I was ready, but I wasn't ready for how strong he would attack. Maybe I was a little out of practice, but his hexes seemed to be delivered with a lot more force than usual. I was able to ward them off, but with a great deal of effort. If we were to do this for an extended period of time I certainly wouldn't last.

"Good," said Severus, nodding approvingly as he lowered his wand.

"That was much stronger than usual," I commented, regarding him closely. I wasn't about to voice that I didn't want to be a substitute Harry-punching bag. It seemed today that I was the best option for letting frustrations out. Harry had snapped at me and I had the strong feeling that Severus' need to have the lesson early was mainly because he _really _needed to duel to let some anger out.

"No different to normal," he said dismissively, raising his wand again. He attacked once more and I concentrated hard on warding him off. After a few minutes, I was starting to find it difficult. Severus was not letting up on the strength of his spells and I knew I wasn't good enough. I needed to practise at this nearly every day in order to remain strong. My irritation at Severus for using this to let out his anger made me annoyed. I was happy to duel if he wanted to let out frustration, but that didn't mean I was happy to struggle because his anger made his hexes so forceful.

Severus finally lowered his wand and I staggered slightly, exhausted at having kept at it for so long. We had duelled for long periods before, but not with magic used at the force Severus was now using it.

I was about to lower my wand when Severus attacked once again. I wasn't quite ready and my shield only warded half the strength of the spell; the rest hit me. I was flung off my feet and I slammed into the wall.

I gasped in pain as I hit the wall and then I landed hard on the floor. Severus rushed towards me, but instead of waiting for him to reach me, I angrily cast my own spell.

He hissed in pain as he felt the brunt of my stinging hex and I lowered my wand in satisfaction. I was _not_ going to cry, no matter how much my head hurt from hitting the wall. If I cried, it was not because I was hurt, but because of my anger at the whole situation.

I closed my eyes, reaching up to touch the back of my head where a dull ache had settled. I had been injured many a time when I had duelled with my brother, but those injuries had never bothered me because they had been a part of the learning process. This was completely different. The ache in my head caused from slamming into the wall was completely uncalled for. It wasn't a learning process, it was Severus' anger at Harry directed at me instead.

I heard Severus move closer and I opened my eyes to look at him. He was determinedly not rubbing the bright red scorch mark on his left hand where my stinging hex had hit him.

"Get up," he ordered sharply. He looked furious.

I took my hand down from my aching head and took my time getting up. My back was also sore from hitting the wall.

"Don't you _dare_ attack me like that again," he said severely, looking incensed. "You _knew_ I had stopped duelling to see if you were all right. That hex was utterly uncalled for."

"So was slamming me into the wall," I retorted.

"Your shield evidently failed," he snapped.

"You're a lot stronger than I am," I said heatedly. "I can't fight off your hexes when you're delivering them with that level of force."

"Learn to!"

"Not today," I muttered, putting my wand away.

He narrowed his eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"I don't wish to duel with you today," I said plainly, trying my best to squash the boiling anger I was feeling inside. This was _his _fault, not mine!

He shook his head. "Take your wand out, Armilla," he ordered, glowering at me. "We have _not_ finished."

"_I _have," I said angrily. My head was now throbbing. "I'm taking incapacitated leave."

"Don't be impudent, Armilla!" Severus snapped. "It does not suit you."

"Attacking _me_ for the sheer hell of it doesn't suit _you_ either!" I retorted.

Severus' face contorted with anger, but he did not speak. Instead he regarded me through angry, narrowed eyes.

I glared back at him, too incensed to worry about how much trouble I was in.

"You've overstepped your mark," Severus said softly, his voice laced with fury.

"I've had enough," I said quietly, walking towards the door. "I don't want to do this anymore."

"Stop right there!" Severus snapped.

I stopped at the door and turned around.

"This is not about what you _do_ or _don't_ want to do, Armilla," he said furiously. "Your conduct is unacceptable."

I didn't reply with a bitter retort of what I thought of _his_ conduct. It seemed like my emotional energy had been drained. Instead I was fighting to keep the tears at bay.

"_Well_?" he demanded. "What have you to say for yourself?"

I stared at him, struggling to push away the tears and angry retorts.

"Answer me!" he snapped, glowering at me.

A new wave of anger spread through me as I placed my trembling hand on the doorknob. I hadn't felt this angry with him since I'd been just his student.

"I don't regret it," I said softly, opening the door.

Severus' eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't walk out that door, Armilla!" he said sharply, looking livid. "You have _not_ been dismissed."

He glowered at me, but it did not deter the glare I sent back, fuelled by the anger inside me. _Dismissed?_ I felt like a student in detention.

"We're not at _school_, Severus," I said quietly, opening the door. Without another word I left, slamming the door behind me.

o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Thanks for reading. As always, reviews are VERY welcome.

Alright, a few messages and clarifications:

Yes, Armilla was behaving a little un-Armilla-ish in this chapter. A foreign environment combined with emotional stress can do that to you…her usual decorum and rational thinking went out the window in this chapter…that's all I have to say there! (Not that her brother was much better…ah, the loving bond of Snape siblings…)

Just to put possible Armilla/Harry curiosity at ease: there will be NO romance between them. Not now. Not in the future. It's a bit Mary-Sue-ish to me and besides that, Armilla doesn't feel that way about Harry. Armilla has only ever really liked one young man and he appeared so briefly in the first story… (hint: not a Hogwarts student). Severus has forbidden his sister dating while she's at school.

At the moment, it may seem that Armilla's role in the story is one of an innocent bystander (though she narrates it). Keep in mind that everything that happens in each chapter generally contributes to my overall plot, which I have already worked out. The main elements of Armilla's side in the story will take place soon after her return to Hogwarts, which is not that far off. Some things that will contribute to that part of the story are already taking place now though…I had better stop now for fear of giving things away. All I will add is Armilla has a rather interesting plotline coming up…

On a very HAPPY note, I bought the NECA Snape action figure! Very exciting and an excellent likeness of Alan Rickman (though he does have a five o'clock shadow for some reason). He even has a REMOVABLE CLOAK! Oh… … …


	11. The Importance of being Severus

**Chapter 11**

I barely registered my internal horror at just having slammed the door on my brother. I raced down the corridor, down the stairs and into my bedroom. The annoying thing about living here was that there were limited places to escape to; sooner or later Severus would find me, so I just settled on waiting it out in my bedroom.

I closed the door of my bedroom quietly and leaned against it, trying to catch my breath. Oh no…what on earth had I just done?

_You know perfectly well_, my mind said smugly. _You told Severus exactly what you thought. Hurrah!_

"Hurrah, indeed," I said dourly, ignoring the fact that I sounded like my brother. Was telling Severus exactly what I thought worth the trouble that I would be in as a result? Severus was _furious_. He had been mad at me before, but he had never looked so furiously at me as he had just done.

The strange thing was, though I was feeling worried about the next time I would see Severus, I wasn't feeling particularly bad about what had happened. It was _not_ my fault. Okay, true, I _had_ attacked him. Oh Merlin, I had _attacked_ Severus! But he had asked for it.

_Yeah, sure, justify it that way. That's mature_. I could imagine Severus asking me later on why I had attacked him. I was sure "You asked for it" would _not_ be taken well.

As my breaths became slower, I became focused on listening for the sound of footsteps.

I had been sure that Severus would come storming after me, but I couldn't hear a thing. Good. I didn't want him coming anywhere near me at the moment. I was so angry with him. I didn't care that he was tired. I didn't care that Harry irritated him. I _did_ care that he had no qualms about using me as a means for letting suppressed steam out. I was _not _a punching bag and I wouldn't mind telling him so.

I sighed, moving back from the door. I sat down heavily on my bed and put my face in my hands, wincing at the throbbing pain in the back of my head from where it had hit the wall. I didn't think Severus even realised that he had been using me as a punching bag. The way he saw it, my shield had failed from a lack of focus. I had completely overreacted in his eyes.

_Had_ I? No, _Severus_ had delivered his hexes with far too much strength. _He_ had insisted on starting a lesson even though he had clearly been angry. I had had every right to want to end the lesson. I had been hurt unnecessarily. I didn't want to engage in any sort of duelling with Severus if he wasn't calm. He certainly hadn't been calm.

See? I was perfectly within my rights to be angry…

Why was I feeling _so_ guilty then?

_Poor Severus._ _He's under so much pressure with the Dark Lord and Dumbledore. Having Harry to deal with as well doesn't help. You should really be there to support him, not hex him._

But I was _angry._ I wasn't there to be snapped at and hexed. I sighed, reaching up to rub the back of my head. I wasn't about to go and say I was sorry. Yes, I felt bad about what had just happened, but I was _not_ sorry. I hoped Severus wasn't going to storm in any time soon. I did _not_ want to talk to him at the moment. The very thought of his angry face made me fume.

So why did I feel simply awful?

o o o o o o o o o o o

I sat fuming in my bedroom for a couple of hours. Morag seemed to feel the anger in the room; she reflected my anger by turning bright red, but it did nothing to soothe me. I felt really horrible and not just because of the pain in my head. I felt extremely angry and extremely miserable at the same time. I was furious with Severus and yet I hated the idea of him being angry with _me_. I always felt insecure when I knew Severus was angry with me.

I had heard more than one pair of footsteps pass my door, but thankfully, Severus had not decided to pay me a visit. As dinner approached, I suddenly realised how thirsty I was. I got up with a sigh, laying aside the books I had tried to distract myself with to no avail, and headed for the door.

It seemed all bad luck was with me today. As I stepped out into the corridor I caught sight of Severus near the stairs I wanted to descend, talking to Kreacher. Seeing my brother brought a wave of anger through me. I did _not_ want to talk to him.

He had already seen me, but he turned his attention back to Kreacher. Fine. I decided to head down to the kitchen anyway, even if it did mean that I would have to pass him. He dismissed Kreacher as I got closer and the elf disappeared down the stairs. Severus watched him go, his back to me.

As I passed Severus, his hand reached out and closed tightly around my wrist, preventing me from leaving his company, as I very much wished to right now. I looked up at him, wanting nothing more at the moment than to yank my hand back. I had been daring enough before, why couldn't I be now? His black eyes were narrowed as he looked down at me, his face set in a deep scowl. He was still angry then. Good. So was I.

"Let go," I said quietly, pulling slightly where he held me.

Something flickered in his eyes and his grip lessened, but he didn't let go. "Does your head still hurt?" he asked in a low voice.

"It doesn't matter," I said irritably, trying, albeit half-heartedly now, to pull away.

"_Does your head still hurt_?" he said acidly, glowering at me.

"Of course it does," I replied coldly, "it had a run-in with a wall."

His eyes flashed. "I will _not_ tolerate this, Armilla," he hissed furiously. "I don't know what has gotten into you today, but this behaviour is to stop at _once_." He glared at me. "Do you understand me?"

I looked moodily back at him. "Yes," I said begrudgingly.

He sneered. "You're behaving like a child."

I didn't answer. I knew I was being juvenile. In fact, I was embarrassed at how I was behaving, but something inside me had snapped and I couldn't seem to coax the bad attitude into staying away. I settled for looking indifferently back at him.

Severus swung on his heel. "Come," he ordered in a hard voice, walking in the opposite direction.

I followed slowly behind, wishing I could make a run for it.

We passed my bedroom and I was surprised that we went into Severus' bedroom instead. It wasn't too different from mine except for the large four-poster instead of three single beds. It was just as old-fashioned and the walls were just as faded.

Severus pointed a long finger at his bed. "Sit," he instructed coldly.

I sat, starting to feel a little sick to the stomach. I had felt so powerful just now, showing an attitude to him. Now I just felt plain stupid.

I wasn't about to apologise; I was still far too angry with what had happened in the library. All the same I was a little ashamed of myself. The tears from earlier before sprang up out of nowhere in my frustration with the situation. I hastily tried to remove them while Severus' back was turned. He was rummaging through a wooden box on the dresser, clearly looking for a potion.

I wiped my face one last time as he turned around, a small bottle in his hand. If he noticed my red eyes, he didn't say anything. Instead he uncorked the bottle and held it out to me. "Drink this," he ordered, his voice void of all emotion.

I shakily reached out for it and downed the potion, trying not to grimace at the taste. The throbbing at the back of my head was replaced with a dull ache that I barely noticed. Severus immediately took the empty bottle from me and put it away. Again, while his back was turned, I wiped my eyes. As he turned back, he suddenly clutched his left arm.

_Oh no_. I could never get used to Severus being called.

I blinked back new tears as I watched Severus compose himself. He pointed to the door, not looking at me. "Out. I need to contact the Headmaster."

I got up and left without a backwards glance. I went shakily back to my bedroom. I felt horrible. My headache was gone, but now I just felt plain sick. I was always worried when Severus was called, but because I was angry, it somehow made things seem worse.

I had only been there a few minutes when I heard the front door open and close. Surely Severus hadn't left without saying goodbye? A moment later I breathed out a sigh of relief when I heard Tonks' voice drift upstairs. I was surprised at her prompt appearance. Dumbledore had really meant it when he had assured Severus of immediate assistance should he be called.

There came a sharp knock at the door. I got up and opened it to find Severus standing there wearing his travelling cloak. His face seemed more strained than angry.

"Nymphadora is downstairs with Potter," he said shortly. "She'll stay until I get back. Make sure you eat dinner." He turned and stalked down the corridor, his cloak billowing out behind him.

I stepped out into the corridor, feeling worse than ever. "Severus," I called.

He turned around at the stairs, looking blankly back at me. "Yes?" he said curtly.

What did I want to say? Why had I called him? To say sorry? No. I was _not_ sorry. Far from it. I was furious with him. I was even more angry with him for being angry with _me_. I felt horrible all the same. I didn't want him to go.

"What is it, Armilla?" he said sharply, looking very irritated.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I said softly, biting my lip. I had nothing to say except to plead him not to go, which was far from helpful.

He narrowed his eyes, turned and disappeared down the stairs without a backwards glance.

And I went back to my room to wallow in a mixture of angry, miserable and thoroughly frustrated tears.

o o o o o o o o o o o

I did decide to go down for dinner, but only for Tonks' sake. She had knocked on my door about ten minutes after Severus had left, but I had told her from the other side of the door that I was changing and would meet her downstairs for dinner. The truth was, I didn't want her to see my red eyes. She would want an explanation and I would feel guilty if I didn't provide one.

I was worried sick about how I had left things with Severus. _Or how he left things with you_, my mind pointed out. Either way, I felt physically sick at the thought of him seeing You-Know-Who. I always did, but this time it was worse.

As usual, because I was already emotional, my mind decided to play mind games just to get in the spirit of things. It kept bringing up the dreaded, but very possible thought that I always pushed to the back of my mind. _What if Severus didn't come back?_

I knew it was stupid to dwell on such a thought. It would get me nowhere. It just seemed my mind insisted on making the situation feel worse for the sake of it.

I went down to the kitchen at dinnertime to find Tonks and Harry already at the table. Tonks' hair was the mousy brown colour I had seen before and it didn't suit her at all. Perhaps I was just used to the vibrant colours she usually favoured.

They both turned as I entered the room. It was obvious that Tonks' usual exuberance seemed lacking. She gave me a small smile.

"Wotcha, Armilla," said, as I sat down at the table. I felt very aware of the empty seat next to me that Severus usually occupied.

"Hi, Tonks," I said, trying to sound cheerful.

Harry didn't look anywhere near what I would describe as cheerful, though he was finally having a meal without Severus' presence. He looked absolutely exhausted. He looked at me as well, nodding slightly to acknowledge my presence. Well, that was a start in comparison to the way he had snapped at me earlier in the day. I supposed giving him Sirius' mirror was a good thing after all.

"How are things?" Tonks asked, picking up her knife and fork.

"Fine," I said simply, picking mine up too. "You?"

"Well enough," she said quietly. "I suppose we're all a little tired at the moment."

I nodded, looking at Harry. He nodded too before looking down at his dinner.

"I've been asking Harry about what it's like living here with the Snapes," Tonks said, giving me a smile.

"It sounds strange when you put it like that," I said, smiling back. The smile didn't last long; my eyes caught sight of the empty chair next to me again and I was reminded of where my brother was at that moment. "I'm sure Harry gave you a raving review," I said dryly, glancing at Harry.

"I never expected Harry to enjoy this," Tonks stated, looking from Harry to me. She frowned slightly. "And I didn't expect you to enjoy it either."

"Enjoy it?" Harry repeated, staring at Tonks. He turned back to me, a strange expression on his face. "I'm really sorry for implying you've had an easy time here, Armilla," he said sincerely. "I can see now that you would _never_ have an easy time living with that git."

"Harry!" said Tonks, looking annoyed.

"I'm not being rude, I'm serious," Harry said impatiently. "Look, Armilla, I'm sorry, okay? I reckon you must have all the strength in the world to put up with that man day in, day out." He smiled slightly. "It must be hard being related to a man like him. And I reckon you do a pretty good job of keeping up appearances."

"Do you?" I said dryly, feeling annoyed. Yes, I was furious with my brother at the moment, but I hated it when I was put through conversations like these. Severus was _not_ hard to put up with. He was the reason that my life was much easier than it could be. I loved my brother more than anyone in the world. I hated that I couldn't defend my brother to Harry. Severus would not approve. Keeping up appearances indeed.

I felt even worse now, thinking about how much I loved my brother. I could love him _and_ be angry with him. It seemed to hurt more when you were furious with someone you loved.

o o o o o o o o o o

Dinner had ended up being a rather quiet affair. Tonks had tried to keep the conversation spirited, but none of us had really had our hearts in it.

I had excused myself as soon as possible, having eaten very little, and made my way back up to my room. I tried to distract myself with doing some homework, but I found it very difficult.

I walked up to the library in search of an encyclopaedia for one of my research projects. I only really wanted to walk up to the library to get out of my room for a while. My mind wasn't focused enough on my work. Why wasn't Severus back yet?

I entered the library, my heart feeling like it was somewhere around my toes. I approached the cabinet that held the encyclopaedias, wishing that I could see Severus. Not _talk_ to him. Just _see_ him. I was still too mad to talk to him.

I opened the cabinet and got down on my knees to search for the right encyclopaedia. Locating it, I saw that I would have to move about five books out of the way in order to retrieve it. It seemed wedged in. I reached in pulled out a pile of books. As I pulled them out, I heard a movement from the darkness behind the books. A moment later, my brother loomed out of the space in the cabinet. He grew to his usual size and then collapsed on the floor next to me, clearly dead.

Though my rational mind clicked fairly quickly as to what it was, it didn't stop me from letting out a petrified yelp. I had found a Severus-shaped boggart at school earlier in the year; I hadn't coped well with it then and I certainly didn't appreciate viewing a dead Severus-boggart now.

My heart thumped as I stared down at the pale face, the black, empty eyes staring dully up at me. My emotional side set in as my mind shouted that this could very well happen. Severus was a double agent. He was frequently in the company of the Dark Lord and Death Eaters. He was with them at that moment. What if this really happened one day?

I wiped away the stupid tears, arguing with myself that this was no time to dwell on Severus' dangerous role. I knew Severus would be annoyed if he saw me. He would curtly enquire as to why I hadn't banished it yet. But how could I turn this into something amusing?

I wiped my eyes, racking my brain to think of something amusing. I couldn't help it; it was difficult to turn a dead Severus into something amusing.

I heard footsteps coming down the corridor and a moment later Harry appeared in the room. He stopped short at the sight of me, hunched over my dead boggart brother.

"It's a boggart," I said quietly. How uncomfortable.

"I…a boggart," Harry repeated dumbly, looking from the boggart to me. He looked stricken, clearly regretting have come into the room.

"I'm sure you know what a boggart is," I said tetchily, swallowing the rather large lump in my throat.

"Of course, I do," he said wearily. "I just didn't realise…"

"What?" I snapped. "That my boggart could be the dead body of one of the people you hate most in the world?"

Harry took a step back, looking like he'd been slapped. "I…well…"

"Of course, you didn't," I said angrily, standing up.

Harry stared at me, clearly not knowing what to say.

"Forget it," I said, waving a hand aside. I looked back down at the boggart. It was so…_real_. My heart clenched at the sight. The black eyes sent a chill down my spine. I tried to swallow the lump again. Why wasn't Severus back yet?

"I suppose we should get rid of it," Harry said finally.

"You think?" I snapped, glaring at him. It wasn't his fault, but I felt even angrier with him now because of what he had said at dinner. This was proof to him that living with Severus was far from a _putting up with him_ situation. From the look on Harry's face, the thought clearly disturbed him.

We were silent, staring down at the boggart. Harry was too far away for the boggart to change to his worst fear instead.

"Are you going to get rid of it?" Harry asked.

I nodded. "It's a matter of _how_," I said quietly. I didn't know how to make my brother's dead form amusing.

Harry nodded. "No idea."

I turned to him. "Would you…wait outside then? I'd rather…" Though it wasn't really Severus, I didn't want Harry to witness me getting rid of it. Having a dead Severus suddenly become amusing was not something I wanted to show Harry.

He nodded. "Sure, I'll wait outside." He turned and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

I turned back to the boggart, wondering what to do. I took out my wand. How could _this_ be turned into something _amusing_?

I smiled as I heard Severus' voice in my head. _Oh just get on with it, would you? I'm finding this whole ordeal rather tedious_.

I stared down at him, imagining him just rolling his eyes at the whole affair. I laughed to myself as I was reminded of one of my favourite quotes.

_Dying is a very dull and dreary affair. My advice to you would be to have nothing to do with it._

I took out my wand, knowing exactly what I wanted to do. It was an acquired humour, I supposed, which would not be appreciated by those who did not know Severus well. If _I_ thought it was funny, it was all I could do to dispose of the boggart.

I concentrated on the image in my mind. My boggart wasn't really about to change form, but it was about to get more amusing.

"_Riddikulus!"_

The boggart's lifeless eyes suddenly blinked and then focused more steadily on me. His lip curled and his eyes narrowed; all in all, he looked rather fed up with his situation.

I started to laugh, concentrating on what it was that I found so funny. Never mind that this felt really strange.

The Severus-boggart rolled his eyes as he stood up. He folded his arms and tapped his foot on the ground, clearly impatient for this whole thing to end. I found it amusing because it was how I would imagine Severus would feel about a boggart. I continued to laugh as it seemed to let out a long self-suffering sigh. My amusement seemed well served, for not long after, it vanished with a puff of smoke.

I let out a sigh of relief, watching the smoke fade away. It seemed that as the boggart vanished, a sense of emptiness returned to me. Severus wasn't back yet. Where was he?

I waved my wand again to open the door. Harry was leaning against the opposite wall out in the corridor. He slowly walked in, looking a little unsure of himself.

"Not that I want to know," he said slowly, "but I've been racking my brains trying to come up with something amusing for your boggart."

I looked over at him. "And?"

He shook his head. "Zilch."

We were silent. I stared down at the spot where the Severus-boggart had just vanished from.

Harry ran a hand through his messy hair, looking nervous. "I feel like an idiot," he admitted.

I frowned, turning to him. _He_ felt like an idiot? I just felt uncomfortable because he had seen my boggart. "Do you?"

He nodded. "After saying that stuff at dinner about you putting up with Snape," he said. "And now _this_," he gestured to where the boggart had been.

"Would you rather I obliviate you?" I said, smiling slightly as I raised my wand.

"No!" he said. "Put your wand down."

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't being serious, Harry."

Harry sat down in one of the chairs, still looking uncomfortable. "It's just that…well," he stammered, "I never realised that you would ever…I mean, you were just one of us last year."

"Ever articulate," I drawled.

Now he rolled his eyes. "Can't deny he's rubbed off on you though," he said pointedly. "Look, I'm just saying that I feel like an idiot because I assumed that living with Snape would be a real trial. I had no idea that you felt strongly enough about him to have…_that_…be your boggart."

I stared at him for a moment. "Life's full of surprises," I said evenly.

His lips twitched. "Touché," he said finally.

"How hard do you try at whatever you're doing with Severus?" I asked quietly.

He winced slightly at my calling my brother by his first name. "I _do_ try," he said resentfully. "Not that Snape appreciates it. We spend a lot of time arguing actually."

"Can it be avoided?" I said softly, "or is there a part of you that enjoys it?"

Harry stared at me, clearly taken aback by my bluntness. "I don't know," he muttered.

"The sooner you learn this, the sooner we can all go home," I said.

Harry folded his arms. "Snape's not innocent, you know," he said bitterly. "He starts things too."

"I didn't say he doesn't," I said simply. "I'm just pointing out to you that I'm sure we'd all like go home sooner rather than later. If that means determination of a different sort, then so be it."

Harry didn't answer. We were silent again. A full minute must have passed before Harry spoke again.

"I'm glad you gave to mirror to me," he said quietly. "It doesn't really help me, of course, but I…thanks. I really appreciated it."

o o o o o o o o o o

Severus still hadn't returned by nine o'clock. Tonks, Harry and I had attempted to play each other in an old game of Wizards Chess, but none of us were good enough at it or competitive enough to really care.

My mind was very much preoccupied anyway. I had taken to occluding most of the night in front of Harry and Tonks to keep from having to swallow the large lump in my throat. My worry about Severus' return or lack thereof was driving me crazy. Having him angry at me and still being angry at him myself didn't help things. By the time I excused myself and went up to bed I was a nervous wreck hiding under the art of Occlumency.

I went to bed shortly after nine, but couldn't get to sleep. My mind kept repeating all the events of the day, trying to rationalise the way I had spoken to Severus. It seemed my passion for my anger kept weakening without my notice. Every time I replayed the scene from the library with him in my mind, it did gain some strength, but then when I was wondering if he was alive at that moment, it was hard to hold onto it.

Was he alive? _Don't be ridiculous, of course he's alive. _You don't know that! Anything could happen with a role like his. What if he had been found out and tortured to death, having died knowing that his sister had spoken so horribly to him? _Of course he's alive, and you have every right to be furious with him. He treated you badly._

I tossed and turned for a few hours, my thoughts growing more anxious as the minutes passed. Severus should have been back by now. I didn't bother swallowing the lump this time. It had grown far too large. Where _was_ he?

I felt silly crying about it; but at this stage of the night when I was so frustrated, insecure and angry with my brother who should have been home by now, there was nothing for it. I felt like throwing things. I felt like punching something myself. I closed my eyes, hoping sleep would take me and that Severus would be there when I woke up, healthy and sneering as usual. Then I could be angry with him to my heart's content.

I sobbed into my pillow, drifting in and out of sleep. Repeatedly, I threw my blankets off, far too hot to have them on, only to wake up after what seemed like mere minutes of sleep to find myself cold and needing the fetch them again.

At one point I heard footsteps pass my door. They seemed too heavy to be Tonks' footsteps and it was with a pang of joy that I realised that Severus must be home. The footsteps didn't linger outside my door, however; they moved on down the corridor. Moments later I heard a door opening and closing, which meant Severus must have gone into his bedroom.

My sobs renewed themselves when my mind insisted that Severus wasn't coming in as he usually did because he was still so furious with me. I had spoken rather rudely to him. I was angry, yes, but I had still been rude. All I wanted right now was to pretend it all hadn't happened. Severus would open my door as usual and check if I was all right. I knew he wasn't about to come in tonight. I deserved no such attention.

My head started to ache once more, which was my own fault considering that I was far too concerned with showing my pillow how far in the depths of despair I was, rather than doing the sensible thing by trying to sleep.

I didn't know how long I remained this way; it seemed it was easy to lose all track of time when lost in bouts of ridiculous emotion.

I didn't hear Severus come in. One moment I was crying into my pillow like the juvenile idiot I was and the next moment I saw Severus' arms reaching down to me. When I saw him, I was filled with a flood of different emotions. Love. Relief. Frustration. Security. _Anger_. I was still angry with him, but I wanted him there just the same. My anger came through as he reached down under my arms.

"_Don't_," I sobbed, trying to push his arms away.

He completely ignored me. He lifted me so he could slide under where I'd been laying and he leaned back against the pillows with me leaning against his chest. My protests and attempts to push him away quickly became forfeit when he wrapped his arms tightly around me. Damn strong man.

"Severus," I murmured, through awful sobbing noises. I wasn't sure what to say. I was happy he was here with me, but I was still terribly angry at him. They were such confusing thoughts to have in my head at the same time.

"Hush," he said in a low voice. "One o'clock in the morning is _not_ a fitting time to be having the discussion you and I _will_ be having."

I tried to stifle another sob and became rather embarrassed that I didn't come close to succeeding. _You Baby_.

"_Breathe_, you silly girl," Severus chided, feeling my forehead. His hand felt so cool on my face. "Take deep breaths."

Merlin, I was the biggest sixteen-year-old baby. I was so embarrassed that I was doing this. I wondered if Severus was now thinking that Harry was easier to handle after all. Severus didn't need this. He had enough on his plate. I could be angry at him and not cry about it, couldn't I?

I took a shuddering breath and ended up coughing instead. Severus remained determinedly silent. He kept his cool hand, though starting to turn warm now, on my forehead, while his other hand held me tightly against his chest.

Slowly, my embarrassing sobs turned to small shudders. I reached up to wipe my eyes. My face felt so hot. Fantastic. I was now qualified in the Art of Hysterics. _You idiot, Armilla._ _Once again you fail to act your age._

My anger at myself, to my annoyance, led to new tears.

Severus still didn't say anything, and I wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or not. Either he was too tired or too angry with me still to speak. Or both.

My tears finally subsided and I was left with small, shaky breaths. Severus finally moved his hand from my forehead and kissed me there instead.

"Go to sleep," he murmured, wrapping both his arms around me. "Put your mental shield up and block the multitude of thoughts that I've no doubt are swarming through your head at the moment."

I closed my eyes, my breaths finally returning to normal. Severus started lightly rubbing my back. I was too _old_ to be held like this. I was too old for this whole scene. _But_, a childish voice in my head said, as long as I didn't dwell on the fact that I was too old, the truth was, I _liked_ it. I frowned as I drifted in and out of sleep, my mind caught up in these thoughts. One single thought kept coming back to haunt me: _You idiot, Armilla._

o o o o o o o o o o

I awoke very early the next morning feeling far from rested. My head ached and as conscious thought came back to me and I recalled what had happened during the night, I put my pillow over my head in embarrassment.

_Armilla, you complete idiot. I bet Severus feels like he has a five-year-old on his hands now. You'd never know that you'll be an adult on your next birthday._

I groaned into my pillow, wishing I could just erase the whole of yesterday.

At least Severus had come home; I hoped he was all right; he never told me when he wasn't all right, particularly after being called by the You-Know-Who.

I crawled out of bed, though I wished for nothing more than to stay there, and headed for the bathroom. I spent a long time in the shower, trying to dull my aching head and replaying last night in my mind. Had Severus been angry still? I couldn't tell. He would no doubt have been tired. He wouldn't have come in and stayed like that if he had been angry though, would he?

_Would he?_

I had been furious with him, even when he had come in. I hadn't wanted him to hug me, just to know that he was there was enough. It was perfectly rational that he would have stayed with me even if he _was_ angry. If I was still angry then no doubt he was too.

I emerged from the bathroom after spending much longer in there than necessary. I dressed, made my bed and then sat down on it to wand-dry my hair.

Severus came in just as I was finishing braiding it. He stopped short at the door, clearly having anticipated that I would still be in bed. It seemed that living at Grimmauld Place had turned me into an early riser. It was not quite seven o'clock yet and I had been up for a while.

I watched as Severus silently moved further into the room and sat down on my bed next to me. He looked even more tired than I felt, which was saying something. He didn't look angry, but the frown on his face told me he hadn't come in for a happy chat.

I didn't say anything. I merely met his gaze, waiting for him to speak.

He reached into his robes and pulled out a potion I recognised as a headache reliever. He held it out to me.

I took it, giving him a questioning look.

"I assumed you would have need for it," he said simply.

I certainly did. My embarrassment skyrocketed. What he meant to say that I had been such an idiot with unnecessary weeping the night before that a headache potion would no doubt be in order.

"Thankyou," I murmured. I drank the potion and then stared down at the empty bottle, feeling the pain dull into nothingness.

Severus reached out and took the tiny bottle from my hand. "Look at me, Armilla."

I looked up, dreading the reprimand that I had been waiting for since yesterday. Severus' black eyes were fixed on mine.

"Your behaviour yesterday was inexcusable," he said quietly.

I said nothing. I merely waited for the rest.

He sighed. "…as was _mine_."

I bit my lip. I didn't know what to say to _that_. Was Severus admitting to having been at fault? Well, _partly_ at fault?

"I had not seen such attitude from you since you were merely a student of mine," he continued, frowning at me. "While I was _not at all_ pleased with such a display, I was forced to point out to myself that it was an unusual occurrence and therefore must have happened for a significant reason."

I shifted uncomfortably.

He spoke slowly and deliberately, his eyes never leaving mine. "Something must have snapped inside you to induce you to speak in such a way." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Am I correct?"

"Yes," I said softly.

He nodded curtly. "I thought as such. It led me to analyse the entire situation and I was forced to arrive at the unhappy thought that I hold my own portion of blame here."

I said nothing. It was so rare to hear Severus admitting to fault. I found it unnerving and I didn't know what to say. If I heartily agreed then I would no doubt sound impertinent.

"I shouldn't have been so forceful with the duelling, Armilla," he said softly, his voice in direct contrast to the intense, agitated look on his face. "I focussed my anger in the wrong direction and you suffered as a result." He paused, his face softening slightly. "I apologise."

I nodded. "I'm sorry I hexed you," I whispered.

He looked sternly at me, "You were out of line, but I no doubt deserved it." He narrowed his eyes. "That said, I don't _ever_ want to see a repeat of such conduct from you."

I nodded. Could I request that I didn't want to be used as a punching bag again?

"Your attitude thereafter was completely unacceptable," he continued, gazing sternly at me. "Not only was your attitude downright petulant, it was far below the standard of conduct I expect from you, not as my student, but as the child for whom I assume parental responsibility."

I looked down at my hands. He certainly had a way of making me feel small.

"I was not at all impressed with the way you spoke," he went on, "but I would brand myself a hypocrite if I was to punish you for it. After all, I spoke to you in a manner I am much ashamed of."

I appreciated him saying that, but didn't I have a right to say what I felt about this too?

"I know there's no excuse for what happened yesterday," I said slowly, staring at my hands, "I know I snapped. I didn't _want_ to duel with you yesterday. Things had just been building up. I snapped."

Severus shook his head. "You should have come to me then."

I shook my head, looking back at him. "That's just it," I said earnestly. "I can come to you at home, but I don't feel comfortable approaching you _here_…and I don't want duelling lessons with you here either."

He frowned. "What difference does it make whether you come to me here or at home?"

I was silent. It wasn't so much the location…

"Armilla?"

"…_you_," I said finally.

He frowned. "Elaborate."

"You're…_different_ here," I said, feeling uncomfortable.

He narrowed his eyes. "Do I need to define _elaborate_ for you?"

"Like _that_," I said, feeling irritated, "saying things like _that_. It reminds me of when…" I trailed off, feeling the anger inside me rising again. I sighed. "It makes me feel stupid."

He shook his head. "Don't be absurd, Armilla. I know you are not stupid and I would not imply it."

"Having to define _elaborate_ makes me feel stupid," I muttered.

He sneered. "Pardon me. I believed you would detect the sarcasm behind my words."

"I _know_ you were being sarcastic," I said heatedly. "I just didn't appreciate it."

"Evidently," he said dryly. He stood up and began to pace slowly. "Please explain clearly what differences you have noted that have resulted in your newfound reluctance to confide in me and your willingness to halt lessons here." He spoke a little _too_ politely.

I suppressed an urge to glare at him. Now I felt mocked.

"It's not your fault that I don't see you very often without Harry present," I began slowly, thinking very hard about my choice of words. "Because of that, I only see the teacher side…the way I used to see you. I want you to be _Severus_ when you're with me, not Professor Snape. I don't want you to only want to see me because you've had enough of Harry and want to duel."

He stopped his pacing and stared at me, a strange expression on his face. He actually looked…uncomfortable. It was a feeling I so rarely saw in my brother that it took me a moment to identify it as discomfort.

After a moment he broke his gaze and began to pace again. "I suppose in a way you've just cemented the true nature of our relationship," he said quietly.

I stared at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

He stopped pacing again to look at me. Though he fixed his black eyes on me steadily, his expression remained troubled. "You've just asked me to only be Severus when I'm in your company," he said softly.

I nodded, having no idea where he was going with this. His uneasiness was starting to disturb me.

"Very few people would see a difference between _Professor Snape_ and _Severus_," he remarked, folding his arms.

"I do," I said quietly. "One's my teacher and one's my brother and they're very different."

He looked away, his eyes focusing on the wall instead. "I have not changed towards you during Potions," he said, frowning slightly. "It doesn't seem to bother you then."

"It doesn't," I replied, "only because I know I'll go home to a different person at the end of the day."

He looked over at me, a haunted look on his face.

"It bothers me here," I continued, pushing the lump in my throat away, "because I don't feel comfortable when I only see you as the teacher. I prefer my brother's company."

The troubled expression remained on his face as he regarded me through slightly narrowed eyes. Eventually he moved forward and sat down next to me on the bed again with a huge sigh.

We sat in silence. I was still contemplating what he meant by me cementing the nature of our true relationship. Did that mean he had been offended by what I said? I had pretty much made it clear that I saw two people inside him. I hadn't really said he was two-faced, but Professor Snape and Severus were different people to me, and had been for quite some time.

Severus sighed once again. "I don't like it when I do things that I'm scarcely aware of," he said finally. "I like to account for everything I do." He looked over at me. "You would think that I wouldn't miss the more obvious things I do."

I said nothing. I waited for him to elaborate. He seemed too caught up in his thoughts at the moment, which wasn't like him; he normally prided himself on being articulate and precise at all times.

"When I think back to what our relationship was like last October," he said quietly, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "I can certainly see a difference. However…" he paused, looking over at me again, "however, the relationship did change over that time and I'm barely aware of how it happened."

"It just did," I said thoughtfully. "I'm glad it did," I added as an afterthought.

He nodded. "I don't regret what our relationship is, Armilla, I'm merely saying that I don't recall when I allowed myself to become Severus to you and not Professor Snape. Telling you to call me by my first name doesn't count." He grimaced. "To be perfectly honest, I was so uncomfortable about the whole situation initially that I never intended on changing the nature of our relationship. In the early days I was perfectly happy to remain in the teacher role, even as your brother."

I appreciated his honestly, but I wasn't surprised. Severus had made it _very_ clear in the early days that he was not at all happy with the situation.

"The point I am making," he said finally, "very inarticulately, is, that by your admission of seeing Severus in me, I have almost unknowingly allowed you entrance into a part of me that I very seldom allow anyone to know." He reached out and took my hand, running his fingers along the silver bracelet that had revealed our relationship last October. Warmth rushed through me as his fingers touched the locket.

"I appreciate then," he said softly, "how difficult you have been finding this situation. I never stopped to consider the impact my treatment of Potter would have on you because I have never really stopped to contemplate what level our own relationship has reached. I spend so much time thinking about the intricate details of things that I never pause to reflect upon the more obvious ones." He sighed. "Does that make any sense to you?"

I smiled. "Perfectly."

His troubled expression didn't completely fade. He looked straight ahead for a moment, lost in thought.

I studied the patterns of the thread on the bedspread, tracing them with my finger.

"I'm sorry."

The words were so soft that at first I thought that I'd imagined them. I looked up to find Severus looking back at me, his black eyes full of anxiety. "I'm sorry," he repeated, a little more loudly. "I put you in a position where you couldn't depend on me."

"It doesn't matter," I murmured, feeling uncomfortable.

"It _does_," he said, a little sharply. "It matter very much to _me_. It doesn't do to lose faith in the person you depend on to be there."

"I haven't lost faith in you," I said, shifting uncomfortably. "I was just…"

"Yes?" He was looking expectantly at me.

"Frustrated…and…"

I looked down at the threads on the bedspread again, feeling by brother's eyes on me.

"-angry," I admitted, not looking up. Yesterday, I had no qualms about letting him know that I was furious, but the anxious expression on his face now made me almost feel guilty to admit it. I looked up at him. "I'm sorry I was an idiot last night. I was worried because you'd been gone for so long."

He frowned. "Armilla, I left you a message on your chocolate frog card. Why didn't you check it?"

"I…didn't think to," I admitted, feeling silly. _Of course_. He generally left messages for me so I wouldn't worry.

He shook his head. "I also left a message with Nymphadora a little after ten o'clock, but you had already gone to bed. I was delayed because I returned to Hogwarts to meet with the Headmaster."

"Oh."

"_Oh_ indeed," he muttered. He sighed. "Just for the record, Armilla, I don't seek you out as a result of having had enough of Potter."

I met his eye. "It just felt a _lot_ like that yesterday," I said quietly. "I know you can't help not seeing me much here and I don't need to be entertained, but it just didn't help that when I finally did see you, it felt like a _real_ duel."

He had the grace to look at least a little guilty. "I was angry with Potter," he admitted. "I shouldn't have taken in out on you. It is no excuse, but I barely registered that I was doing it at the time."

I nodded. "Speaking of Harry," I said uncomfortably. "You may have to obliviate him."

Severus' eyes narrowed. "Why?" he asked sternly.

"I found a boggart last night. He…walked in."

Severus pursed his lips. "I assume your boggart remains unchanged from the last time?"

I nodded.

"and how did Potter take it?"

I smiled. "A little traumatised."

He smirked. "I'm sure he'll live."

"Isn't it dangerous?" I asked. "What if the Dark Lord reads it in Harry's mind?"

"It wouldn't be news to him," Severus said indifferently. "The Dark Lord refuses to read Potter's mind now. Besides, The Dark Lord is not ignorant of his Death Eaters loving their children and vice versa. I am not concerned by it."

I sighed. I felt more exhausted now then I had when I had gotten up. It seemed that now that the tension had been lifted, I was filled with the exhaustion it left behind. All the same, there was some sort of spirit underneath that was shouting _hurrah!_ I had gotten through another sticky situation with Severus and had managed to speak my mind without him going back into Professor Snape mode.

I moved along the bed and crawled into Severus' arms. I suddenly remembered the message and Severus shifted his arms around me as I reached into the pocket of my jeans and pulled out the chocolate frog card. I activated it silently and read the message.

_I will be late home. Don't stay awake waiting. We'll talk in the morning._

I smiled. I was such an idiot. Why hadn't I checked?

"I suppose I should be grateful my messages are being read at all," Severus muttered dryly.

I smiled, putting the card away again.

"Am I to assume that you removed the boggart yourself?" he asked.

"Yes. I had Harry leave."

"Good. May I ask how you-" he stopped, shaking his head. "Never mind, I'd rather not know how you disposed of the creature."


	12. Summer's End

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

**Chapter 12**

I went back to my bedroom after breakfast later that morning feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted off me. Though Severus had been far from impressed, I was glad that I had snapped the day before; it had led to Severus realising what had been happening to our relationship due to Harry's presence. The incredible loneliness and isolation I had been feeling didn't seem so unbearable now that Severus knew of it and understood what had caused it.

Severus and Harry had actually been civil to each other at breakfast…well civil for them anyway. Severus hadn't snapped at Harry or made an insulting remark, and Harry hadn't spent the majority of the meal sending my brother death glares and making moody comments. Harry had even offered a small smile in greeting when I had come into the room. I had returned it, wondering if this newfound friendliness was a result of having seen my Severus boggart the evening before. Perhaps Harry had finally accepted that I was capable of caring for his most hated teacher. Maybe it had made Severus seem more human in Harry's eyes.

Professor Flitwick stopped by for another violin lesson, which I greatly enjoyed since my cheerful spirits had been somewhat renewed. I didn't spend the time wondering what Severus and Harry were doing. Professor Flitwick had seemed pleased with my practice and had assured me that he would come again in another two days.

My happier mood threatened to become lost again when Severus sought me out in my bedroom a week later. My happier mood had remained, seeing as I was enjoying the violin more and Severus was finding to time to spend with me in the evenings. If he and Harry still argued constantly they were doing a good job at hiding it. They were far from being friendly with each other, but Severus seemed to be avoiding insulting him or baiting him in my presence. Harry remained mostly quiet during mealtimes, but the air didn't seem as full of tension as it had previously done. All in all, the tolerable level of civility the two seemed to have found was doing the household some good.

"I trust you didn't study all day?" Severus asked, sitting down on the bed opposite me.

I shook my head. "No, I practised the violin for most of the morning. I studied this afternoon. There's not a great deal else to do here."

He nodded. "I know. I'm looking forward to going home as much as you are."

I frowned. "Harry was no better today then?"

He shook his head. "As a matter of fact, Potter made some progress today. It is astounding how much Potter can achieve when he puts his mind to it. There's been a vast improvement in the last few days."

I smiled. "Did you award points in advance to Gryffindor?"

"I did no such thing," he said, his lips twitching. "That would be getting carried away. As it was, I did let Potter know that I had noted his progress and was satisfied with it. That should be enough for him."

I nodded. I was sure the tiniest, backhanded compliment from Professor Snape was equivalent to a hundred "Oh, well done!" compliments from Professor Flitwick in Harry's eyes. Harry had probably wondered if Severus was being genuine.

"That wasn't what I came to talk about though," Severus went on, looking serious. "I wanted to talk to you about the defensive magic lessons you don't wish to have while we're here."

I shifted slightly, feeling uncomfortable. I had announced a week ago that I had no wish to continue with our lessons whilst we were at Grimmauld Place. I wanted to wait until we were home or at school, when Severus wasn't also seeing Harry for most of the day. Dealing with Post-Harry Severus wasn't fun in the least. Severus hadn't seemed happy with this idea in the least, but had remained silent about it until thus far.

"I would like you to reconsider," Severus said plainly, his black eyes fixed on mine.

I stared at him for a moment, wondering what I really wanted. I loved learning defensive magic from him and I _needed_ to learn it. But was it really worth learning it from a tired Severus who was irritable because of Harry?

"Why?" I asked softly. I was a little surprised that he hadn't just told me that _he_ was making the decision and therefore I _would _be taking the lessons.

"Because I believe them important," he said simply. "Also the longer you go without practising, the longer we will have to spend bringing your recently acquired skills up to scratch again."

I was silent. I did want to learn the magic; I just didn't want to learn it from Professor Snape. I wanted to learn it from _Severus_. I had made it clear to Severus a week ago that I was finding it hard to see Severus at Grimmauld Place. I had to admit, I had seen more of Severus over the past week, but it would take one little incident with Harry to send Severus off in a foul mood again.

Severus sighed, my silence obviously agitating him. "It won't be like last week, Armilla," he said sincerely, "I promise you that."

"I don't know…" I said hesitantly, thinking of how angry and forceful Severus had been that afternoon during the lesson he had demanded we have.

Severus looked a little disconcerted. "I see there's an issue of trust here," he said quietly. "In that-"

"No," I said, feeling guilty. "I-"

"I am not _accusing_ you, Armilla," he said sternly. "I believe I betrayed your trust during that lesson. The guilt is mine and mine alone. I do think the lessons should continue and I promise you that while we're here, I shall only seek you out for a lesson if I am in the right mood for it…if we are _both_ in the right mood for it." He paused. "Is that agreeable to you?"

"Yes," I said quietly, "if you promise not to use magic at a level I'm not ready for."

He looked guilty. "I didn't mean to hurt you last week," he said, his voice just above a whisper. "My anger at Potter was no excuse for using magic of that level of force on you."

I nodded.

"I have a new idea for strengthening your mental shield to a level that will prevent the strongest curses getting through," he went on, his eyes glittering, "but I shall not try it out until you give me leave to."

"All right," I said, nodding. I could tell he was very eager to try out his idea. He loved experimenting with magic, particularly defensive magic. When I had duelled with Father the month before, my mental shield had finally failed trying to hold off the Cruciatus curse. Severus had been particularly interested in the fact that my shield had been able to ward it off at first. He was very keen to increase its strength so as to hold off the strongest curses.

"What's your idea?" I asked, very interested. It was hard to say no to duelling with Severus when I was enthusiastic about it. My interest in duelling was solely due to my brother's influence.

"Confining simple spells within a bubble of sorts in the space directly in front of the wand," he said promptly. "Each hex is delivered with the utmost force as usual," he went on, his voice betraying his eagerness to discuss one of his most loved subjects, "but as it is cast, you immediately restrict it to an invisible magical barrier. As these spells accumulate, so too does the force with which they are cast. Once the caster is satisfied with the amount of force built up, he is free to direct the bubble of spells directly at the opponent." He paused, watching me closely. "Of course, this sort of hex is not suitable for duelling as it is time consuming, however I feel it might be useful in teaching you to block strong hexes with your mental shield."

I was impressed, but was put off by one flaw I could see in the plan. "But if the force of the hex is accumulated," I said slowly, thinking carefully about this theory, "doesn't that mean the effects will be stronger if I fail to maintain the shield? Even if it's a simple hex, wouldn't the effects be a lot more harmful?"

"You're quite right," he said, nodding. "However, you must take into account that fact that spells lose their strength during delivery. We are going to stop the spells hitting the opponent at first in order to accumulate them into one bubble. If we keep them there, the magical effects on the spell will wane, but the force with which they are delivered in the moments after will not. If it was a tickling spell for example, you might feel a small amount of the effects if your shield failed." He frowned. "You will certainly feel the force of the hexes if your shield fails. For that reason, we will gradually build upon the number of hexes accumulated in the magical bubble."

I stared at him in awe. He really did have a talent for developing defensive magic.

"Well?" he said quietly, still frowning. "What do you think of this?"

"It's impressive," I said bluntly, "but I'm not sure I'll be able to handle a bunch of hexes compressed together at the same level of force as the Cruciatus curse."

Severus didn't look deterred. "You felt this way when we were first developing your mental shield," he pointed out, "yet you certainly succeeded there. I am confident that you will handle this just as well." He paused for a moment, meeting my eyes steadily. "Though, as I said," he continued, "I will only advance the level at which you're working when you express your confidence in doing so."

I nodded, watching him stand up. "So…can we start now?"

He turned back and looked down at me, a tiny smile playing about his lips. "Certainly." He headed for the door. "Potter is working in the library as we speak so we shall use the drawing room. Come."

I followed, not really caring that I hadn't put up a fight to have my way about the not duelling at Grimmauld Place thing. If Severus was serious about me controlling the amount I was learning then hopefully all would go well.

We went into the drawing room. I had scarcely been in this room since we had been here. I noticed that all the furniture had been pushed up against walls to allow for the utmost space. I wondered again what sorts of things Harry had been learning. Severus had told me that he hadn't taught Harry any of his own innovative spells. They were mainly concentrating on Occlumency, all areas of magical focus and discipline, as well as some defensive magic.

"Take out your-" Severus began, turning around. He stopped when he saw that my wand was already in my hand. I had developed this habit early on in his tutelage. "Well then," he said, taking his own wand out. He warded the room against outsiders eavesdropping or intruding. "I believe we should spend some time duelling first to see how your mental shield is faring." He raised his wand. "Try and block me as well as you can with the shield so that you are free to use your wand to defend yourself."

I nodded, raising my wand. Severus immediately struck with a nonverbal hex and I warded him off easily. His hex was no where near as strong as it had been last week. We continued this way for a few minutes; I managed to cast a few hexes myself, which Severus easily blocked.

"You've maintained it well," he said, when we stopped a minute later.

"You're not being strong enough," I pointed out, giving him an annoyed look.

He smirked. "Very well. Brace yourself." He struck again, this time with more force and it was more challenging to maintain the shield this time. This was the level we had previously been working with at home. My role was to keep the shield up whilst casting hexes strong enough to damage the opponent. When we had left off, my hexes still weren't strong enough because I was too focused on the shield. I knew I needed more practice.

After a few minutes Severus lowered his wand and I was panting this time.

"Better?" he asked, running his fingers along his wand.

I nodded. "Better, but my hexes still aren't strong enough."

He nodded. "I agree, but time and practice will take care of that." He raised his wand again. "I will continue to deliver hexes at the same force, but try to limit your focus on the shield. You are reaching a stage where the shield should be maintained like second nature, much like the way you use Occlumency."

I nodded, raising my own wand and waiting for something to hit my shield. I had gotten used to Severus using nonverbal hexes. He considered it a more sophisticated way to duel.

I felt something strong vibrate the shield and I tried to concentrate on casting a stronger hex, letting the back of my mind concentrate on keeping the shield in place. It proved very difficult, but the hex I delivered felt like it had more force than usual. Severus blocked it without trouble, but only because he always used a mental shield as well. He could tell by the way my hex hit his shield whether or not the hex was strong. He gave a small not before launching into another range of hexes and charms.

I blocked the first two whilst casting my own hexes, but it completely crumpled on the third and I was hit with a tickling charm.

"_Finite incantatum_," Severus commanded, smiling slightly at my obvious attempt at trying not to laugh from the effects of the tickling curse.

"I was trying too hard to make the hex strong," I said breathlessly, feeling the sensation leave me.

He nodded. "You did well to ward it off at first," he said. "That's something we'll continue to work on. As I said, practice will help you develop the focus you need to conquer the skill." He raised his wand again. "Ready?"

We continued in this fashion, on and off again, for another fifteen minutes. My shield failed a couple of more times, but after longer periods. My hexes were slowly getting better. They had come a long way from the rather feeble ones I had cast when I was first learning the skill.

"Are you too tired to have a go at blocking the accumulated hexes?" Severus asked, as we finished drinking the water he had conjured. "It's not really learning a new skill; merely learning to block stronger forces of magic. I am happy to wait until you are confident enough in casting stronger hexes with the shield in place."

I shook my head. "I wanted to have a go at it today."

He nodded. "Very well, but I am not going to use many hexes at first. It would be foolish. I will show you so that you may see how it is done."

We stood up and took our wands out again.

"Just watch," Severus instructed. He proceeded to cast a nonverbal charm, but waved his wand in a new way at the last second so that the light which had burst from his wand didn't come directly at me. It sort of circled in a sphere shape, remaining connected to the wand. Severus finally broke the link and the whitish sphere, about the size of a quaffle, floated in front of him.

"This is the bubble that will contain the hexes," he explained. "Because I've only just developed this, it has a limited time capacity, so I must act quickly." He raised his wand again. "I am going to cast a hex and direct it into the sphere."

I watched as a reddish light burst from his wand and was directed into the sphere. The sphere now had a reddish hue to it. Severus cast another hex and also directed in into the sphere. The sphere continued to float in front of him.

"I could keep building this up," he said, "but I want to show you the effects without hurting you. It has the force of two hexes at the moment, which you can handle, so I will direct the bubble to you so you can block it. Block it as you would block a normal hex. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I said, raising my wand.

Severus nodded and then pointed his wand at the sphere. All at once the sphere came hurtling towards me and I concentrated hard on my mental shield. I felt the force as the sphere hit and disappeared, but it wasn't strong enough to be too challenging. Months ago the shield would have shattered from the impact.

I smiled over at my brother. "That's pretty clever."

Not one for receiving compliments, Severus merely nodded. "I need to work on it."

We finished up not long after and as we left the room, we heard the sound of angry voices coming from upstairs.

"What's he doing now?" Severus muttered, looking irritated.

We walked upstairs and headed towards the library. The door was open and inside we found Harry and Kreacher standing a few metres apart, facing each other. Kreacher was eying Harry with the utmost contempt, while Harry was looking back at him in very obvious distress. His face was red and his eyes were brimming with unshed tears. On the floor between them was what looked to be the shattered remains of a Remembrall.

"What is going on here?" Severus asked in a deadly calm voice.

Harry and Kreacher both started as they turned to see Severus and I in the doorway.

Harry immediately looked away, embarrassed, and wiped his face with his sleeve.

"Kreacher!" Severus snapped. "Explain."

The house elf jumped. "Kreacher _accidentally_ broke Sirius Black's old Remembrall, sir."

I waited for Harry to shout that Kreacher had done it on purpose, but he didn't. Actually, I was surprised that Harry wasn't already pointing his wand at Kreacher. Instead, Harry just glared back at Kreacher with hatred.

Severus sneered at Kreacher and then turned to Harry. "Potter?" he said softly, his eyes narrowing. "Your version of the incident?"

Harry looked back at Severus, his face turning even redder, which was, I assumed, from his embarrassment at getting so emotional over one of his godfather's old possessions. I didn't blame him. I would have felt the same. "I found Sirius' Remembrall this morning under Kreacher's mattress, sir," he said quietly. He pointed to the table at his right. "I left it on the table there, and Kreacher came in a moment ago and nudged it off the table." He looked over at Kreacher before looking back at Severus. "It _wasn't_ an accident."

"Harry Potter is Kreacher's Master," said Kreacher smoothly, looking very innocently at Severus. "Kreacher would do no such thing."

"I command you to tell me if you did it on purpose," Harry said quietly, though his voice was hard.

Kreacher seemed to struggle with himself for a moment. Finally he nodded. "Kreacher was doing it on purpose," he muttered, looking at Harry with loathing. "Kreacher was enjoying it too."

I waited for Harry to strike. The Harry I knew would have snapped at such baiting. But he didn't. Instead, he looked calmly at Kreacher. "You will go and bring me every one of the Black family's possessions that you have hidden or relocated in this house."

Kreacher looked furious "Yes, _Master_," he spat begrudgingly. He gave a jerky bow and strode past Severus and I out the door.

Harry shuddered as he knelt down to pick up the remains of the broken Remembrall.

"Don't touch it, Potter," Severus ordered, striding forward. He took out his wand and vanished the remains.

Harry looked back at him in horror.

"Touching the remains of a Remembrall could have been damaging," Severus said impatiently, clearly having no time to deal with Harry's distress over Sirius Black's old Remembrall. "Do you want to have memory problems as bad as Longbottom's for the rest of your life?"

Harry shook his head, looking down at the spot where the Remembrall had just vanished.

Severus sighed. "Potter, I am sure there are plenty of other possessions in this house that belonged to Black for you to be sentimental over. You said yourself that you only found the Remembrall this morning. You haven't had a lot of time to become desperately attached to it."

I waited for Harry to glare at Severus and say something cutting back. But he didn't. Instead he looked up at Severus, some distress still evident on his face. "It wasn't about being attached to the Remembrall," he said quietly.

"Then what was it?" Severus asked curtly.

"The fact that Kreacher destroyed one of Sirius' things on purpose."

Severus sneered. "We both know very well that the house elf was being childish, Potter. You did well not to respond with childish behaviour yourself. Kreacher could have handled being hexed, but he will not like having to hand over possessions he's hidden. Your reprimand was fitting."

Harry looked back at Severus, a hint of disbelief on his face. I hid my own surprise at my brother's expression of approval of Harry's behaviour.

"Thankyou, sir," Harry muttered, using his sleeve once more to wipe at his face.

Severus sneered. "Honestly, Potter, your manners are appalling. Your sleeve is not a handkerchief. Do learn to tell the difference."

o o o o o o o o o o

"Docky is wishing he could come with you, Miss Armilla," Docky said morosely, as we watched Severus levitating the last of our belongings into the waiting carriage in the courtyard. I could hear Morag hooting indignantly from inside the carriage. I was sure without a doubt that she was not at all satisfied in being separated from Aeolus again, especially since we had only come back to the Merrigan Estate just over a fortnight ago.

I had never been so happy to be home. I had left Grimmauld Place with the hope that I would not have to see it again for a very long time. Docky had been beside himself with joy upon our return. Morag had been delighted at being reunited with Aeolus, and Severus and I had been happy to have the freedom of our own home again. This meant more to me than anything, especially because it meant that Severus could be completely himself again.

Harry had been equally happy to leave. I couldn't say that Harry had reached a level of the utmost respect for my brother, but there was now some sort of unspoken understanding between them. I was doubtful it would continue into the school year; Severus had a reputation to uphold and I knew he was only holding back his cutting remarks to Harry for my benefit. It was certainly not born of a desire to be on good terms with Harry.

"Alas, you cannot," Severus said curtly as he ascended the front steps to join Docky and I near the front door. He looked down at the glum house elf. "You know your job is to bounce off the walls here."

Docky gave a guilty smile. "Docky is getting too old to bounce, Master Severus, sir."

"Rubbish," Severus snorted. "I caught you jumping on your mattress this morning."

Docky grinned. "Docky was inspired when he saw you do it, Master Severus."

Severus opened his mouth, his expression somewhere between scandalised and irritated. "Docky," he said, his voice hard. "You will refrain from telling untruths. I did _not_-"

"Not _today_, Master Severus," said Docky brightly, seeming to forget his sadness for a moment. "Years and years and years ago. You stopped after the unfortunate incident."

"What unfortunate incident?" I asked, enjoying my brother's now very obvious embarrassment.

"He bounced off and broke his collarbone," said Docky promptly, his eyes bright with mischief.

I gave a fruitless attempt to suppress a smile while Severus glowered down at Docky, determined not to look at me.

"Docky," he said dangerously, taking out his wand. "You seem to have expressed a wish to spend the school year without the use of your limbs." He raised his wand, his eyes narrowed with very evident malice. "Shall I oblige you?" he said silkily.

Docky took a step back, his large eyes even wider. "No, Master Severus, sir!" he squeaked. "Docky will not do it again." He bowed deeply. "Docky was very wrong to speak of Master's Severus' amusing childhood incidents."

Severus sneered, lowering his wand. "I do not recall it being amusing," he huffed. "On the contrary..."

He glared at me as I laughed. He turned back to Docky with an irritated expression on his face. "Goodbye, Docky. Do try and keep the house standing in our absence."

Docky bowed. "Fare thee well, Master Severus! Docky will do his very best to keep everything in order."

Severus grunted as he turned and headed towards the carriage, his black robes billowing out behind him.

"Goodbye, Docky," I said kindly, smiling down at the elf. "I might see you at Christmas if Severus says we can come back."

Docky smiled. "That would be nice. Docky promises he won't wear jingle bells this year. Master Severus didn't seem to appreciate them last year."

I smiled. "Try reindeer antlers this year. They won't be noisy, but they're festive and they'll annoy Severus."

Docky gave me a toothy grin. "Docky will work on that, Miss Armilla."

"Good." I turned and went down the steps to join Severus. We got into the carriage and it immediately started to move. I waved to Docky, who was now jumping up and down the front steps.

Morag's hooting became louder as she spotted Aeolus perched on a stone wall next the courtyard's exit. As we passed him, she fluttered her wings in protest.

"Cease that detestable racket at once," Severus said irritably. "I am sure Aeolus will be there when you come back…_if_ you come back."

Morag stopped and then focused her energy for the next few minutes on glaring at Severus. Severus, of course, did not seem at all bothered, which annoyed Morag all the more. She turned various shades of pink, but to no avail.

"Well, I must say," said Severus, as Morag turned crimson, "the summer turned out to be a little more eventful than we thought it would be."

I nodded in agreement. Narcissa and Draco Malfoy's visit had started what had ended up being a rather challenging summer. Dumbledore's visit to announce the appearance of Mother's body had not been one of my favourite parts of the summer, but knowing she was now buried on the Merrigan Estate did leave me feeling more content about her.

Harry had finally mastered Occlumency, though it had taken weeks of strict tutelage. He had also learned a higher degree of self control, as I had noticed when Kreacher had broken Sirius' Remembrall. We would see how well Harry could keep his temper when we returned to Hogwarts. There were many more people there who knew how to make Harry angry.

When Severus and I had finally returned home from Grimmauld Place, we had spent a few days just enjoying being at home again. We went flying, collected ingredients in the greenhouses, I cooked with Docky and I played Wizard's Chess with Severus (losing many times). I even played the piano out of a desire to, which was unusual considering Severus usually had to nudge me into doing it. I was getting better at the violin and Flitwick came a few times more to teach me. He had left after the last lesson with the promise that we would continue at Hogwarts. Severus had firmly promised Flitwick that if I went more than two days without practising he would make me join the school band. I still shuddered at the thought.

My ability to deliver strong hexes whilst maintaining my mental shield was coming along well. I wasn't fantastic at it, but practice virtually every day with Severus had ensured vast progress. Severus was now hurling five accumulated hexes at me to block. I was only just managing it, so it would be at least another week or two before I would tell him to make it six. Severus had been very good about letting me decide when he could advance the magic I was learning. He would generally offer none too subtle hints when he thought things had become too easy, but he never pressured me.

Severus had been called a few times more since we had come home. Draco Malfoy had indeed become a Death Eater, and Narcissa had come over late at night when I was in bed to express her worry over this. Apparently Severus had sent her away half an hour later, firmly chastised for doubting the Dark Lord. While Severus had been telling me this, I could tell that he was worried himself about what would become of Draco.

Terry and Lisa had come over once more and I had been delighted to see them. They had brought their brooms this time and we had spent a joyous afternoon flying around the grounds. I had beaten Terry in a race, though he claimed I had only won because of my new broom. Either way, I had been pleased at being a galleon richer when Terry lost the bet.

Severus and I had also been to see Matilda once more. She had been a great deal more pleasant to Severus than she had at the beginning of the summer. I had been grateful that Severus hadn't looked _too_ sickened much when Matilda had presented me with a pink, fluffy beanie she had knitted with a matching set of gloves. I had tried to contain my amusement when Matilda had then given him a black beanie with matching gloves. I knew he would wear the gloves, but Severus did _not_ wear beanies.

While the time at Grimmauld Place seemed to have moved along at a snail's pace, the last couple of weeks of the holidays had definitely zoomed by. We were now returning to Hogwarts a day early, so that Severus could ensure that everything was in order for the new school year.

I was having mixed feelings about returning to school. I was excited to be starting Sixth Year, which meant dropping Astronomy and History of Magic, but I was nervous about Father trying something again. I had been safe with Severus during the holidays, but Hogwarts had proved itself not to be as safe as previously thought. I had voiced my worry to Severus as the carriage bumped along to the clearing in the forest where we would apparate to the border of the Hogwarts ward barrier.

"It will take getting used to again," he acknowledged. "Dumbledore told me that security is to be further increased this year, but we both know that Hogwarts is never completely safe. It's a matter of being vigilant, reporting anything that seems unusual, no matter how insignificant and following the rules set for your safety." He paused. "I seem to be practising my Head of Slytherin speech on you."

I smiled. "Am I going to follow some sort of timetable for duelling lessons with you?"

He nodded. "I will wait until my own timetable is finalised, as well as look into time allocations for meetings with prefects as well as staff meetings. At the moment, I think Sunday afternoons, as before, as well as Wednesday evenings."

"What about staying in the dungeons?" I asked. I had started spending a few nights a week in the dungeon early on in the last school year. When my OWLS had been approaching I had spent every night there.

Severus considered me for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Sunday nights and Wednesday nights," he said. "Unless I request it, you may choose where you spend your other nights. You may find yourself spending more time in Ravenclaw Tower this year, especially since you won't have the pressure of OWLs." He paused. "Of course, that doesn't mean I don't expect you to study."

"Who's teaching Defence against the Dark Arts this year?" I asked, shuddering at the thought of Umbridge returning.

Severus suddenly looked annoyed. "The Headmaster hasn't told me," he said disdainfully. "I daresay we'll find out this afternoon. Apparently I already know the person."

I frowned. "That doesn't really narrow it down."

"No," he agreed. "It doesn't. It could be someone I went to school with or even a past student." He sneered. "As long as Lupin doesn't make a surprise return…"

"Or Lockhart," I pointed out.

He narrowed his eyes. "Yes, or that conceited dunderhead. I think we're safe there. The last I heard, he was practising his autographs in the Closed Ward at St Mungo's."

o o o o o o o o o o

"Severus! Armilla!" said Dumbledore pleasantly, as we rushed into the Hogwarts Entrance Hall to escape the pouring rain. "So good to see you both."

"Headmaster," said Severus, nodding, looking a little ill-tempered from being drenched by the rain.

"I trust you had a pleasant journey?" Dumbledore was rocking back and forth on his heels, looking a little too cheerful. Maybe he just loved the start of the school year.

"Delightful," Severus drawled, his voice laced with sarcasm. His wet boots made a squelching noise as he took a step forward.

"Ready for the new school year, Armilla?" Dumbledore enquired, adjusting the sleeves of his robes. I noticed that the withered, blackened hand looked no better.

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent. Well, I shall not detain you, seeing as you're both leaving water marks on my lovely clean floor. Filch will have my head."

Severus grumbled. "Filch can go to-"

"Is that dear Severus' voice I can hear?" said a booming voice.

Startled at the unfamiliar voice, I looked to my left to see a very…_large_ man emerging from the ground floor corridor. He was quite short, but his protruding stomach saved him from being deemed petite. His silvery blue waistcoat with gold, shiny buttons told me he like lavish things. His balding head was shiny and he had prominent eyes, but it was the silvery walrus-like moustache that distracted me most. All in all, I thought he looked like a creature that belonged in the ocean.

"Professor Slughorn," said Severus quietly, a slight frown on his face as he shook the man's hand.

"Come, my boy," said Slughorn, chuckling, "I'm not your teacher anymore. You can drop the formalities. I must insist that you call me Horace."

"Very well then," Severus said quietly, eying Slughorn with what I could only call doubt.

"And this must be dear Hazel's daughter," Slughorn said, turning to me. "A friend, an old student of mine, at the ministry mentioned the discovery of your identity to me." He reached out to shake my hand. "It was an unusual name, I recall. Aurelia, Amelia?"

"Armilla," Severus and I said at the same time. Severus actually looked a little annoyed.

"Armilla," Slughorn repeated, shaking my hand vigorously. "It's a pleasure. Are you as gifted at Potions as your brother here?"

"No," I said bluntly.

Slughorn frowned. "Oh." He looked a little disappointed.

"Armilla is more than adequate at Potions," Severus said smoothly.

"But not gifted?" said Slughorn. "Not gifted like you and Lily were, Severus?"

Severus' face flushed. He stared back at Slughorn with a stony expression.

I felt uncomfortable for him. I had suspected for some time that there had once been a friendship of sorts between my brother and Harry's mum.

"Actually, Horace," Dumbledore cut in, his face cheerful, as if he hadn't detected the discomfort on my brother's part, "Armilla's talents lie in the Charms field. Filius has spoken highly of Armilla's wand work and incantations since her first week at this school."

"Oh," said Slughorn, looking pleased as he looked back at me. "Why didn't you say so? You must be a modest young lass. I daresay it'll be a pleasure to teach you. You come from a family of highly talented people. I will have high expectations of you."

Oh _great_.

"Horace has graciously agreed to take on the role of Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, Severus," Dumbledore explained. "He has come out of retirement for us."

"How wonderful," said Severus, indifferently. I felt sorry for him that he couldn't have the job he wanted.

"_Graciously_?" Slughorn muttered. "You used the Potter boy to twist my arm, Albus."

Dumbledore smiled. "Let's not dwell on technicalities, dear Horace. I have offered you excellent conditions, have I not?"

"Well, I suppose if you put it like that," Slughorn grumbled. "I must admit to having missed being able to employ my excellent aptitude for talent spotting. I will have to start up the old Slug Club before long."

"The Slug Club?" Severus repeated dubiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh course, my boy, the Slug Club!" said Slughorn, clapping his hands together. "My own handpicked selection of the very best students, all gathered together for various get-togethers. You must remember, Severus," he said. "You were invited all the time."

"How could I forget?" Severus drawled, looking bored.

"And I am sure Armilla here will be only too delighted to be invited, won't you?" Slughorn asked, giving me what he must have thought was a fond, grandfatherly-like smile.

"I don't know, sir," I said honestly. "I don't know what I'm being invited to."

Slughorn let out a deep chuckle. "Choosy about your invitations, are you?" He winked at Severus. "That'll be easier for you when the young men come knocking, Severus."

Severus looked far from impressed at this comment. "Indeed," he said dryly.

"I will make sure only the very best young men attend my gatherings," Slughorn went on, smiling knowingly at me. I gave him a puzzled look. What was this nutter on about? I hadn't implied anything.

"Horace," Dumbledore cut in politely. "Severus and Armilla are quite drenched. They are looking forward to spending a quiet evening in dry clothes before the hubbub of the Welcoming Feast tomorrow night. I think we should detain them no longer."

"Very good, very good," Slughorn said cheerfully, bouncing on his heels. "I look forward to working with you, Severus."

Severus looked wryly back at him. "I'm simply ecstatic, Horace."

Slughorn chuckled as he turned to me. "And I look forward to teaching you, dear. I am sure I will draw out all the talent within you."

I gave a tiny nod, not really sure what to say to this. I turned and followed Severus to the dungeon stairs, trying to work out Slughorn's character.

"He's harmless, don't worry," Severus said quietly, as soon as we were alone in the chilly dungeon corridor.

"He's strange, that's what he is," I remarked. "And I don't want to go to whatever that club thing is."

"For the sake of remaining on good terms with him, it might be beneficial," Severus said seriously. "Slughorn has a bit of influence at the ministry. He prides himself on knowing the right people. It would be prudent to remain on good terms with him."

"Even with all the _young men_ who will be in the club?" I said warily, glancing at my brother. Slughorn had seemed keen at the idea of matchmaking in his club. Severus was adamant that all dating was to be kept for after graduation.

"Certainly," he said smoothly. "Those young men won't forget that _I_ work here too. I won't hesitate to add more names to my hit list."

I sighed, thinking this over as we walked along the silent corridors. Finally we reached the portrait of Hortensia Kinchela. Severus touched the serpent's head and the portrait swung open to reveal the door. Severus opened it and we walked inside.

"Terry was right," I said, as I took in the familiar surroundings of our sitting room.

"Right about what?" Severus asked, closing the door.

"I'm going to have to marry someone who didn't go to Hogwarts. All the boys here would be too scared to have you for a brother-in-law."

He didn't say anything. He merely smiled.

o o o o o o o o o o

I am very sorry I took longer than expected to update. Many, many things, Christmas aside, came up and writing had to be moved further down the priority list. 

You would have noticed that this chapter was more a transitional chapter, used for moving the story forward. I told the last of what I needed to say with the Grimmauld Place scenes – they will matter for later in the storyline. I didn't want to spend a few more chapters finishing off Armilla's summer because to be honest, nothing much happened. I briefly outlined the other things she did so that it didn't seem like I was skipping too much. To write out Narcissa coming over again, Lisa and Terry's visit and the other parts would have been too trivial. I like to keep a balance between the major storyline scenes and the fluffy, humorous, trivial ones. This balance is what keeps Armilla moving forward without seeming too heavy and emotional. 

This chapter is, of course, the last for 2007 and I wish you a very Merry Christmas (if you celebrate) and I hope you will stay on board with Armilla in 2008. Next year is going to be a HUGE year for me work-wise, which means chapters will definitely come in fortnightly to three week intervals, but I hope you'll all keep reading just the same.

Coral Grace


	13. Another Year Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

**Chapter 13**

"Armilla!" Lisa shrieked, pushing her way through the swarm of hungry students eager to make their way into the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast. Terry was a step behind her, smiling at the Grey Lady, the Ravenclaw ghost, who was looking at Lisa with disapproval.

I had been waiting by the foot of the marble staircase for the past five minutes, trying to spot my friends in the bustling crowd. I had already seen Hermione, Harry and Ron. Hermione, knowing Severus disapproved of a public friendship, had nodded her hello. Harry had given me a crooked smile, and Ron's gaze had only been towards the tables in the Great Hall.

I hadn't started to feel insecure until I saw Draco Malfoy swagger in with Blaise Zabini, closely followed by his two goons, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode and Tracey Davis. Draco saw me, but gave me no acknowledgement. I was happy with that. I gave a small shudder as I watched him smirk over some comment Zabini had whispered into his ear. They were looking at a crowd of Gryffindors in front of them.

What did surprise me was the look Pansy Parkinson gave me. Our eyes suddenly met and she gave me a sickly sweet, triumphant smile. I had to suppress another shudder. Pansy and I did not have a good history. Things had gone downhill years earlier when I had turned her hair green after she had told me I was stunted. I smiled to myself as I thought of the flipper she had grown when I had caused her hex to backfire…and I hadn't gotten into trouble with Severus for it either.

"The Hogwarts Express took simply _forever_ to get here," Lisa announced as she pulled me into a tight embrace. "When did you get here?"

"Just yesterday," I replied, as she released me. "It was eerie around here being the only student."

"I'll bet," Terry said, as I turned to hug him. "I bet you know about new staffing then?"

"Yep," I said airily, rocking back and forth on my heels.

Lisa pulled a face. "Well?"

I smiled. "Can't say." I nodded in the direction of the Great Hall. "In any case, you'll see the new person soon enough."

"Can't be worse than Umbridge," Lisa grumbled.

"I wouldn't think so," I said thoughtfully. The truth was, I didn't know what to make of Horace Slughorn. I hadn't found him sleazy, but I certainly hadn't found him gentlemanly either. I couldn't put my finger on what it was that I didn't like about him. He just didn't seem genuine. Severus had known him for years, having had him as his Head of House, and he didn't seem to be at all bothered by the fact that he was back. But then, Severus probably felt relieved to have his old teacher back instead of the likes of Dolores Umbridge and Gilderoy Lockhart.

"I'm starving," said Terry, as we joined the throng of students heading for the Great Hall. "The house elves better have made drumsticks."

As we made our way to the Ravenclaw table, I spotted my brother walking along the Slytherin table, nodding in greeting at his students and pausing every now and then to speak to some of the older ones. He passed Draco Malfoy without so much as a nod, seeming not to notice the narrowed-eyes through which the blond ferret was watching him. Pansy Parkinson was at his, side stroking his arm. I was about to roll my eyes when Malfoy turned back and smiled at her, taking her hand in his and kissing the tips of her fingers.

_Ugh_. I couldn't suppress a shudder. _How_ _Disgusting_.

"Hey look, the ferret's caught himself a minx," Terry said, looking revolted. "That's stooping to new lows."

"Except in Malfoy's case, he doesn't need to stoop," Lisa pointed out, as we sat down at the table. "To me he's already at the bottom of the cauldron."

"And what about me?" Terry asked, grinning at her. "Where abouts in the cauldron am I?"

Lisa smiled back, reaching across the table to take his hand. "Right at the top, of course."

"Yuck, cut it out, lovebirds," said Anthony Goldstein, as he sat down on Terry's other side. "Hey mate," he said, shaking Terry's hand. He looked over at Lisa and I. "Have good hols?"

"Yeah," said Lisa, as I nodded. "I heard a rumour that you weren't coming back this year."

Anthony nodded. "It was only decided this morning that I'd come. Mum's furious with me. She didn't want me to come back. Dad kept pointing out that I'd probably be safer here." He grinned at me. "In any case, I kept threatening to leave home if they wouldn't let me come."

"Not likely," said Terry. "You've got no money to support yourself."

Anthony shrugged. "I could have gotten a part-time job at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes for a while. Did you guys _see_ that place? It's an eye-popper at the very least. I could have spent my week's pocket money in there in one hit."

"Oh it's a very nice shop," came a dreamy voice. We turned to see Luna Lovegood slip into the chair on Lisa's other side. "I purchased a rather nice Pygmy Puff there."

"Oh, aren't they sweet!" said Padma Patil, sitting down on Luna's other side. "Parvati and I have seven of them between us."

"Really?" said Mandy Brocklehurst, from further down the table, where she and Ruby Parkes had just sat down. "I thought they were weird things. Did you get one, Ruby?"

Ruby shook her head, wrinkling her nose slightly. "Not for me."

"So how was summer with Snape, Armilla?" Anthony asked.

"Yeah, how many Potions did you make?" asked Michael Corner, sniggering.

"Oh so witty," I said dryly, giving Michael a look that told him he was a complete idiot.

"No, really?" Anthony pressed. "How bad was it?"

"Awful," I said, my eyes wide. I was very conscious that the conversations that had struck up around us had suddenly either paused or quietened. "When I didn't get Potions correct, I had to scrub the floor with my own toothbrush; not that _that_ was bad compared to the frog guts I had to sort through every evening."

Terry guffawed and Anthony punched him lightly in the arm.

"Okay, I get it," Anthony said, smiling, "I'll mind my own business."

"I think it would be simply lovely to have Professor Snape as a brother," said Luna, very matter-of-factly.

I was relieved as all eyes turned upon her, many mouths agape.

"Sorry?" said Michael, looking at her as if she had three heads.

"He's a black-cloaked mystery," Luna said, her eyes wide. "He'd be fascinating to study."

Lisa giggled and I did very well to suppress my own smile.

"Perhaps you ought to suggest the idea to Snape," said Terry, looking at me. "I'm sure he'd love to have Luna carry out an analysis."

"Thrilled," I replied, looking up at the Head Table to see Severus sitting down on Dumbledore's right. Dumbledore leaned over to say something to him, looking rather amused about something. Severus merely scowled in response.

"Like a walrus, the new one, isn't he?" Stephen Cornfoot whispered, nodding in the direction of the staff table.

"Blimey, you're right," said Michael, craning his neck to get a better look at Slughorn. "A walrus wrapped in velvet."

"He might be a nice teacher," Lisa said, looking cross.

"Well, we're in a position to be judgemental after a year with Umbridge," I pointed out. "We've put up with a lot."

"Too right," Terry muttered. "Aha, here come the First Years."

A procession of scared looking students, the majority trying their best to go unnoticed, was led to the front of the Hall.

"They're so small," Lisa whispered.

"Yeah, just a little shorter than Armilla," Terry teased. "Ow!"

"Whoops," I said softly, after my foot had accidentally come into contact with his shin.

We watched as Professor McGonagall brought out the three-legged stool with the Sorting Hat. The old thing really looked like it was about to fall apart. She went through the usual instructions and then proceeded to read off a long parchment.

"Alcott, Rachel!"

A tiny girl with long dark braids nervously pushed her way through the crowd and sat upon the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table let out a cheer to welcome their newest member, who happily raced to the table to escape the attention.

"Beckett, Tarah,"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Our table erupted into enthusiastic applause as the timid looking girl hurried over to us.

The list drew on, with the tables growing less and less enthusiastic with each student. It seemed people were more excited about the food coming up afterwards. I noticed that Severus watched every new Slytherin very carefully as he or she made their way to the Slytherin table. The list seemed a little shorter than usual this year; perhaps some parents had decided not to send their children to school because of the war.

The food finally came and no one was more delighted than Terry when the drumsticks appeared right in front of him. I was more excited when the desserts came; a huge trifle appeared right in front of us and I tucked into it without hesitation. I had been at Severus to make trifle ever since he had made one fall on top of Docky when he had been a child. He had refused all summer. I could just make out a trifle right near Severus at the Head Table and he was watching with pursed lips as Dumbledore helped himself. He suddenly met my eye and I smiled at him. He rolled his eyes and reached for the coffee pot instead.

At last we were all full and the conversation had died down considerably. Dumbledore stood up, his blue eyes sweeping the Hall before speaking.

"The very best of evenings to you!" he said merrily, his arms opened wide.

A soft murmuring broke out through the Hall. Dumbledore's blackened hand was clearly visible.

"What happened to his hand?" Terry whispered, looking aghast.

"It looks like it…_died_," said Lisa, looking revolted.

Luna was shaking her head sadly. "Nargles must have gotten him at last."

"Nothing to worry about," Dumbledore said simply, shaking his sleeve over his hand. "Now…to our new students, welcome; to our old students, welcome back!"

He proceeded to talk about the usual things, like Quidditch tryouts, banned products (which included a blanket ban on all Weasley products) and out-of-bounds areas. Everyone perked up once more when Dumbledore finally addressed the subject of staffing.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year." He smiled broadly towards Slughorn, who stood up, his bald heading shining from the candlelight. "Professor Slughorn," he continued, "is a former colleague of mine who used to teach here as Potions Master. However, since I would never deprive our Professor Snape of that post," he paused to nod in respect at Severus, who gave a tiny nod back, his face grim, "Professor Slughorn has agreed to fill the role of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Murmuring broke out through the Hall, and I overheard some Gryffindors saying they would have preferred to have Slughorn for both subjects simply to get rid of Severus.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and the silence ceased. "Now, as everyone in this Hall knows," he said, his voice ringing out clearly through the Hall. "Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."

I allowed myself to sneak a peek in Malfoy's direction. I wanted to see how the newly appointed Death Eater would approach the situation. I pursed my lips, thanking Merlin for the gift of impulse control when I saw that he was making his fork hover in midair. I dearly wanted to hex him into smithereens at that moment.

"I cannot emphasise strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is," Dumbledore went on, his face serious, "and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them – in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and each other's safety."

He paused to smile and I noticed that a few of the first year Ravenclaws looked rather green.

"But now," the Headmaster continued, "your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say goodnight. Pip pip!"

There was an immediate breakout of noise as chairs scraped back, prefects called for First Years and the rest started discussing Dumbledore's mention of You-Know-Who.

"Kind of takes the excitement of the night away, doesn't it?" Terry muttered, as we joined the throng of Ravenclaws heading for Ravenclaw Tower.

"Password's _Veni_ _Vidi Vici_," Padma said, as she rushed past to help out with the First Years.

"It does put a downer on things," Lisa agreed, "but that's the reality of the situation. I mean, people's relatives are dying."

Terry nodded. "One of Dad's colleagues said his neighbours just completely disappeared and they don't reckon they just went on holidays."

Lisa shook her head. "It's all so horrible," she said through clenched teeth. "What right has that maniac got to-"

"_Lisa_," I said quietly, giving her a look to stop talking.

"What?" she asked, frowning. Suddenly realisation dawned on her. "Oh right, sorry."

My friends knew what things they couldn't talk about in public and a _maniac_ otherwise known as You-Know-Who was a forbidden subject. There could be eavesdroppers anywhere.

We were relatively quiet for the rest of the slow journey to Ravenclaw Tower. Lisa and I said our goodbyes to Terry in the common room and then ascended the stairs to the Sixth Years' dormitory.

"Ah, home at last," Lisa said cheerily, practically dancing into the room.

I followed her in, shaking my head. Actually, I felt a little bad that I didn't consider our dorm as _home_. At Hogwarts, my heart preferred to call my room in the dungeons home. I wasn't going to think about that though. I was happy to be back with my friends and I liked the other girls in my year, so there really was no reason to feel like I wanted to be in the dungeons. I just had to get into the habit of sleeping in the same room as four other girls again. At least, that was what Severus had told me that morning when we had brought my stuff up to the Tower. As it was, I was still going to spend some nights in the dungeons, which made me luckier than the most homesick First Year.

Mandy and Ruby were already in the dorm unpacking their trunks.

"Happy to be back, Lisa?" Mandy said sarcastically, shaking her head as Lisa pranced over to her bed.

Ruby was sitting on her bed holding a few pairs of tights and socks. She was looking at Lisa with a bemused expression. "Is that your idea of ballet, Lisa?"

"Nope," Lisa replied airily, undoing her trunk. "My sophisticated improvised dancing."

Ruby coughed in mock politeness and went back to sorting her socks.

I went over to my own bed and pulled out my pyjamas.

"You're already unpacked, Mill?" asked Mandy. "Did you get here with your brother much earlier then?"

"Yeah," I said. "Just a bit earlier. I had time to unpack."

I went into the bathroom to shower, grateful that I had the bathroom to myself. I wanted to see if Severus had left me a message on my chocolate frog card. Sure enough, the wizard on the front was waving, which indicated there was. Smiling to myself, I activated the card.

_I do hope you didn't overdo it on the trifle. Goodnight._

I suppressed my laugh so the girls wouldn't hear me. I focused on my reply, hoping Severus had his card out so he could reply. He could be in the Slytherin common room, giving his annual speech about his expectations of behaviour from the House of Slytherin.

_Actually, it was very good. You didn't know what you were missing out on. Goodnight._

I had a reply a moment later.

_Actually, I did know what I was missing out on and for that reason I did not put myself through the task of consuming such a ghastly dessert. Pleasant dreams._

o o o o o o o o o o

"Good afternoon, everyone!" boomed Slughorn, instantly quietening the chatter in the classroom. Ravenclaw had Defence classes with the Gryffindors this year and as Slughorn wasn't selective about the grade required to take the class, all students from both Houses were taking it.

It was the last class for the day, for which I was rather glad. It was true that I had more free periods this year because I had dropped History of Magic and Astronomy, but the workload that had been piled upon us that day was unbelievable. Firstly I had received several translations to complete for Ancient Runes, McGonagall had given two essays in Transfiguration and then Flitwick had added his own essay during Charms. I was hoping Slughorn would be lenient. I wasn't looking forward to Double Potions the following morning; I had heard from older Ravenclaw students in years past that Severus' expectations in Advanced Potions were much higher considering that you had to have received an Outstanding OWL for Potions to take the class. I wasn't looking forward to the Potions workload, especially considering I felt a pressure to do well in my brother's subject.

"I hope you're all alert this afternoon," Slughorn said cheerfully, straightening his deep green waistcoat, "we have plenty to do."

There came a groan from the direction of Ron Weasley as he reached into his bag for his textbook.

"No, no, Mr Weasley," said Slughorn, chuckling slightly. "We are going to have a practical session today. Books away and wands out, please."

There was a murmur of excitement as everyone took out their wands. It had been so long since we'd had a decent Defence lesson. Well, since the rest of the class had. I wasn't as deprived in the Defence area, courtesy of Severus.

"Now," Slughorn said, coming around his desk to lean on it, which subsequently let out a creak, "Who can tell me about non-verbal spells?"

Several hands flew into the air, but none were as enthusiastic as Hermione's.

Slughorn smiled at her. "Ah…Miss…"

"Granger, sir," said Hermione, lowering her hand. "As the name suggests, a non-verbal spell does not require you to cast a spell verbally. Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform, which gives you a split second advantage."

"Well done!" said Slughorn, looking approvingly at her. "Ten points to Gryffindor."

Hermione beamed with pleasure and Ron rolled his eyes.

"Granger, Granger," Slughorn said, his brow furrowed. "Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"

"No, I don't think so, sir," Hermione replied, "I'm Muggle-born, you see."

"Oho!" Slughorn bellowed, making several students in the class jump. Hermione looked confused at such a reaction. Slughorn turned to Harry. "'_One of my best friends is Muggle-born and she's the best in our year!' _I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry, nodding.

"Well, well," beamed Slughorn, looking delighted. His eyes roved the class before they settled on Neville. I noticed Hermione saying something to Harry, a smile on her face. Ron whispered something back, looking quite put out.

"Mr Longbottom," Slughorn said pleasantly, "can you enlighten us as to whether all witches and wizards are capable of performing non-verbal spells?"

Neville immediately turned red. "I think it's something that needs to be worked at, sir," he said thoughtfully. "If you've got a good control of your magic then you might conquer it sooner than others…so I think all witches and wizards could do it. They just need the dedication."

"Thankyou, Longbottom," said Slughorn, looking satisfied. "A well-thought out answer indeed. Another ten points to Gryffindor."

Neville looked immensely relieved.

Slughorn's eyes flew around the various students again before settling on me this time. "Miss Snape," he said loudly. He chuckled to himself. "There's a name I'm surprised to hear myself saying…but nevertheless _delighted_ to be saying."

I suddenly felt the eyes of every person in the room upon me.

"Miss Snape," Slughorn went on, clasping his hands together in front of him. "Can you extend upon Mr Longbottom's answer? How can a witch or wizard develop the skill of being able to cast non-verbal spells?"

"It is a matter of concentration and mind power," I said quietly. "The witch or wizard needs to have complete focus in their spell-casting. To develop the skill, perhaps the person casting should start out with the simplest spells first and focus on channelling their magic through mind power."

"Yes!" said Slughorn, looking pleased. "Ten points to Ravenclaw! Very well answered." He stood up straight once more. "All right then, everyone, we shall now divide into pairs and practise casting spells non-verbally. Remember, you are not to say one word. Do _not_ let me catch you whispering, murmuring or the like. Off you go then!"

The sound of scraping chairs was immediately heard as people jumped up enthusiastically, happy to have the opportunity to actually do some magic in Defence. I noticed that Slughorn made a beeline for Harry, clearly interested in watching him perform magic.

I had been confident in using non-verbal magic for many months, seeing as Severus had been keen to teach me. I partnered Lisa, while Terry partnered Anthony Goldstein.

"You already know this stuff," Lisa said quietly.

"Then we'll just focus on you learning it," I murmured back, before moving further back.

Lisa raised her wand, an intense expression on her face. "Cast something at me."

I raised my own wand and non-verbally cast the Jelly-Legs Jinx. Lisa immediately reached for the desk in an effort not to topple over. As I cancelled the spell she let out a laugh. "How many attempts is this going to take?"

I shrugged. "Go again?"

She nodded. "Yeah, cast the same one again."

I raised my wand and cast the spell a second time. As before, Lisa immediately reached for the desk as her legs gave way.

"Aha! Well done, Miss Snape!" boomed Slughorn, as I cancelled the spell on Lisa. He strode over from where he had been standing next to Harry. "Twenty points to Ravenclaw. The talent runs in the family I see!"

I noticed a few of the Gryffindors looking sour at this, especially Ron Weasley. I was surprised when I caught Harry's eye; he gave me the tiniest nod, as if he approved of Slughorn's comment.

My surprise lessened somewhat when, not five minutes later, Harry became the second person to cast a non-verbal spell. I had a strong feeling that it was a skill he had been developing with Severus. He was clearly proud when Slughorn also awarded him points.

"Two great talents in this class!" Slughorn exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "I can see two people I know I will partner together for shared homework tasks this term! I want to promote Inter-House working partnerships and you two are clearly a good pair."

Oh no. I felt my face turn red, and I saw that Harry's was the same. Severus was going to _love_ this idea.

o o o o o o o o o o

I made my way down to the dungeons after dinner that evening. I hadn't spoken to Severus since before the Welcoming Feast the day before and I just felt a need for his company. I wasn't scheduled to stay in the dungeons that evening; I had every intention on spending the night in Ravenclaw Tower simply because I didn't want to become dependent on staying with Severus in the dungeons.

I went straight to our quarters, hoping that Severus wasn't out at a staff meeting or meeting with his Slytherins. The sitting room was empty when I entered, but I could see light coming from the end of the corridor opposite me.

"Severus?" I called, walking towards the corridor. The light was coming from his bedroom.

"In here," he called back.

I moved to the doorway and found my brother sitting on the foot of his bed, a parchment in his hand. He looked up at my footsteps.

"Hello," I said.

He smiled. "Good evening. I trust you've had a satisfactory day?"

I nodded. "It was okay."

"Well then, you may tell me about it, but do cease lingering in the doorway first."

I took a step into the room. I had never been in his bedroom at Hogwarts before. Typical for the Head of Slytherin, the carpet was a deep shade of green and the bed hangings were the same. The bedcovers were black with green and silver stitching through them. I decided I much preferred his blue bedroom at the Merrigan Estate.

"You can come in, Armilla," Severus said, folding the parchment in his hands. His eyes widened. "The explosive magical traps in here _might_ not get you."

I gave him a guilty smile before moving into the room. I sat down next to him on his bed. "I've got too much homework," I grumbled.

"Better get started on it then," he said dismissively. "You'll have a fair amount more after my class tomorrow."

I nodded, suddenly feeling like I was underneath a pile of books, all waiting to be read.

"Slughorn was rather eager to talk to me at dinner this evening," Severus commented, running his finger along the fold in the parchment in his hands. "He was certainly singing you praises."

"We did non-verbal spells this afternoon," I said. "He's enthusiastic about everything."

He nodded. "I'm not undermining your achievement," he said, meeting my eye. "Slughorn told me that he had already expected you to be advanced in the subject. He had predicted that you would come already knowing how to do non-verbal magic. He knows I have taught you things."

"I'm not sure what to do in that class," I admitted.

Severus frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It was okay when I had Umbridge for the subject because we didn't do any magic," I explained. "Now that we _are_ doing Defensive magic, I want to maintain an Outstanding in the subject."

Severus nodded. "Of course. You have no reason not to maintain it."

"But Slughorn kept going on this afternoon that I was a talent," I said uncomfortably. "I didn't like that because I'm not. You've just already taught me that stuff, that's all. Should I just pretend not to know things? I don't want Slughorn to spread around his idea that I'm a talent in Defence. I don't want a reputation like that. If it gets back to Malfoy or-" I broke off, hoping Severus knew what I meant.

You-Know-Who had no interest in me and I wanted it to stay that way. He had sent out Coleman, one of his talent-spotting Death Eaters, to my father's house the year before to test me. On my Father's orders (and my own, really) I had pretended to be poor at duelling. If Malfoy or another Death Eater somehow heard from Slughorn that I was a talent in Defence then You-Know-Who might develop an interest after all.

Severus shook his head. "Do not concern yourself over that," he said seriously. "I have told you before that the Dark Lord does not have any interest in your potential as a Death Eater. He supports Father's theory that pureblood witches should keep away from Death Eater activity and concentrate instead on the matters of bringing pureblood children into the world."

I gave him a grim smile. "Well _that _makes me feel _much_ better."

"As far as showing your true ability in class," he continued, ignoring my sarcasm, "by all means, maintain your Outstanding. Do what Slughorn asks you to do without any pretence, but do _not_ ever let on anything about your mental shield. That must be kept to yourself. If you ever duel in class, duel without using your shield."

I nodded, feeling a little better about the situation.

"That said," Severus went on, looking very serious, "I remind you that you are _not_ to use any form of magic in class that I developed myself. My creations which I have taught you are to remain between us and only _us_."

I nodded again. "I know."

"Slughorn also said that he thinks you may find his lessons too easy," Severus said. "I assured him that you would benefit from practising magic with the wide variety of people in your class, so I am not at all concerned that your time is being wasted. He expects that you will continue to develop your skills with me."

"Was that all he said?" I asked.

He frowned, looking suspicious. "Why?"

"He didn't mention Harry at all?"

Now he narrowed his eyes. "_Potter_? No, he wasn't mentioned at all." He was already looking irritated. "_Why_?" he asked in a hard voice.

"Harry was also successful in casting a non-verbal charm," I explained. "Slughorn thought he was a talent too."

"So?" Severus scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Half the wizarding world believes Potter is a talent. Ignorant fools."

"Well," I went on, somehow feeling a little bad for what I was about to tell him. "Slughorn mentioned something about promoting Inter-House partnerships for homework tasks this term."

Severus' expression was becoming darker by the second. He clearly knew what I was about to say.

"He wants to partner Harry and me together," I finished.

Severus sighed. "Naturally," he muttered. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Well then," he said, putting his hand down and turning to look at me, "it's something else I can use to threaten Potter with."

"What do you mean?" I said warily.

"Potter is to continue coming to me for the lessons he was receiving during the holidays," he explained. "I will merely slip in that I expect him to maintain a high grade whilst working with you…or suffer my _displeasure_."

"Oh great," I said unenthusiastically. Harry was going to love _that_.

"I don't like your attitude, Armilla," Severus said, frowning. "Though Potter's inclination to be lazy somewhat lessened during his stay at Grimmauld Place, I would not be surprised if his exposure to the other mindless Gryffindors encourages him to pick up old bad habits. That said, I will not tolerate _Potter_ being the cause of any fall in your marks."

I said nothing. I knew he had a point, but I knew Harry did try hard in Defence. He had seemed very eager during the lesson that afternoon.

"Any other surprises?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "I can't think of any others."

"Good."

"How was your day then?"

"As expected," he said indifferently, "the First Years are the usual quivering, dim-witted, brainless bunch I will have the pleasure of trying to educate."

I felt compassion for the _quivering_ First Years. I was pretty sure I had quivered too during my first Potions lesson.

"There is something I need to bring to your attention," Severus said, looking down at the parchment in his hands again. He looked up and his black eyes met mine.

"As you are very aware, the first anniversary of Merle's death is coming up next month."

I nodded. I had not forgotten. The seventeenth of October.

"This also means that not long after that will mark the first anniversary of you being with an alternative guardian."

I nodded again, wondering where he was going with this.

Severus sighed. "I received a letter this afternoon from the Family Services Department at the Ministry."

I looked at him in alarm, feeling an almighty pang in my chest.

"Nothing to worry about he said," holding a hand up. "It's routine. Father and I have received similar letters before, simply requiring responses as to how you were coping with the new arrangement."

"Why didn't they talk to me?" I asked.

"They wanted to, I assure you," he said, raising an eyebrow. "The Headmaster put a stop to it, saying that as Headmaster, he witnessed your care at school and deemed that you were well taken care off. Obviously, he couldn't speak for Father, but at the time you hadn't stayed with Father yet. This occurred about sixth weeks after Merle's death and the Headmaster didn't want you to suffer any more interruptions from Ministry-related issues."

"Oh." I remembered that I was having a bad enough time back then. I had never stopped to think about those things going on behind the scenes.

"This letter," Severus went on, indicating the parchment in his hand, "was to inform me that short interviews with you and myself, both separately and together, will be required in late November. By that time I will have had sole guardianship of you for five months. They will also want to know if you are coping with that change."

"Why can't Dumbledore stop this now?" I asked. "I thought he knows people in that Department who can take care of it."

"The Headmaster can only do so much, Armilla," he answered. "You were excused last year because Dumbledore said your grieving period meant that you would not be focused enough to clearly reflect upon relationships that had only just been established."

"So I have to answer the questions of some stranger who knows nothing about us?" I asked, feeling irritated.

"It's nothing to worry about," he said. "As I said, it's routine for that department. You shouldn't have a problem."

"I don't want to be left alone with someone from the Ministry," I said uncomfortably.

He shook his head. "That's where I do have the power. As you are underage, as your guardian I can request that someone chaperone you, which I most certainly _will_. The interviews will take place here at the school, so I will have Professor Flitwick sit in with you."

"All right then," I said, feeling dejected. I hated the idea of being questioned by a stranger about my relationship with Severus.

"I have told you this in advance so you can let the idea sink in," Severus said, watching me closely. "That does not mean you are to worry about it."

"Okay. I won't."

He narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe you."

I smiled. "I mean I'll _try_ not to."

He shook his head, standing up. "Come, I'll make us tea."

I stood up and followed him into the sitting room. The usual tea tray, which was a permanent feature, continuously restocked and refilled by the House Elves, was sitting on the dining table.

"Oh, I just remembered something I had to tell you," I said suddenly, as I joined Severus at the table.

"How incredibly reliable you are," Severus drawled, tapping the teapot with his wand to make it boil.

"It's nothing incredibly exciting," I said, watching him pour tea into our cups. "It's just a relief."

"What's a relief?"

"Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson."

He rolled his eyes. "I _was_ aware of that particular development. They've made it no secret at every meal." He pushed my cup towards me. "I do understand your relief though because I feel it too. Nevertheless, remain cautious when near either of them, Draco in particular. I fear he will be a difficult student to manage this year…and speaking of students irritating me-" He paused as he lowered his cup and gave me a hard look. "-I stand firm on what I said about you not dating until after you graduate."

I stared at him, genuinely surprised. "I know," I said innocently.

"Then tell Mr Goldstein to direct his attentions elsewhere," he said firmly.

"Anthony?" I was rather bemused. Anthony was just another boy in my year. He was one of Terry's mates. "But he hasn't-"

"-stopped _looking_ at you at every meal today," Severus finished for me, a scowl on his face, "even when he wasn't sitting near you. The young man is far from subtle."

"I didn't know," I said uncomfortably. "I hadn't noticed."

"You never _do_," he scoffed.

o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Please review! I do love to read the thoughts of readers.

A reminder about Armilla/Harry: please don't take their partnership in Slughorn's class as an opportunity for romance. It's not going to happen; the partnership is required for something else I have going on…

References

J.K. Rowling's HBP, from which I used a great deal of the storyline and dialogue from the "Snape Victorious" and "The Half-Blood Prince" chapters.

Julius Caesar's _Veni_ _Vidi Vici_


	14. Longing

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

**Chapter 14**

"Perhaps I should reconsider taking this class," Terry murmured in my ear as we walked along the draughty dungeon corridor where Severus' classroom was located.

I looked up ahead and immediately understood what Terry was implying. Unless there were many people who hadn't arrived yet, there seemed to be a significant reduction in the Potions class size. There were less than a dozen students waiting outside the door.

"Snape only takes students at NEWT level if they received an Outstanding on their OWL, isn't that true?" Lisa whispered, frowning slightly at the group up ahead.

I nodded. "As far as I know."

We joined the end of the line and I suddenly found myself feeling nervous. I had no idea why, but I knew it had nothing to do with the smaller class size. Maybe I was nervous about maintaining a high grade in Advanced Potions. I was no natural talent at Potions like my brother was, but though he never pressured me, I still felt a need to succeed in his classes.

"Ah, Armilla," said Ernie Macmillan, rather pompously, nodding at me. "Surprise, surprise. I would never have expected to see _you _in Professor Snape's Advanced class." He chuckled at his own attempt at sarcasm. I knew he wasn't trying to sound arrogant; it was his rather poor attempt to be witty. But I preferred Ernie over Zacharias Smith any day.

"She had to bribe Snape a lot to get in because she only got a P," Terry said lightly, smiling at Ernie. "Still, great to have connections, isn't it?"

Ernie chuckled again, reminding me of a much younger version of Slughorn.

"So Ernie," said Lisa, "Are you the only Hufflepuff taking Advanced Potions?"

He nodded. "Hannah did try to get in with her E, but Snape flatly refused. He told her yesterday that he has no time for students who didn't have the intellect to achieve an Outstanding for their OWL."

"That was harsh," Terry commented, looking uncomfortable.

Ernie nodded. "I thought so, but that's Snape for you." He drew himself up to his full height. "But at any rate, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I daresay Snape only wants the most gifted in his NEWT class and will settle for no less."

"Hear, hear, Macmillan," drawled a voice from behind Ernie. Ernie spun around and Draco Malfoy stepped away from the group he had been talking to. His grey eyes flitted over the four of us, a sneer pronounced on his face. "Well, this is a lovely reunion, I must say," he said in a bored voice. "Thankfully I've spotted no Gryffindors thus far."

"Think again, Draco," Blaise Zabini, his eyes narrowing at something behind me. We all turned around and saw Hermione Granger, laden with books, coming down the corridor with Harry Potter at her side.

"Potter," Malfoy sneered. "Lost your way, have you? You couldn't possibly have received an Outstanding in Potions. Anyone who has seen your Potions skills would agree."

I waited for Harry to retort with an equally insulting comment, but nothing came. He merely regarded Malfoy coolly for a moment before turning to talk quietly to Hermione, who was rifling through her books. I wished Severus had been there to observe it; Harry not reacting to Malfoy was a major feat; I was sure Severus would have felt at least a little bit of pride in having influenced this new way of handling things. It had only taken many days of volatile tempers for Harry to react effectively to Severus' methods.

"I must say," Ernie said quietly, so Harry wouldn't overhear, "I am rather surprised to see Harry here. I had the understanding that his Potions skills had always been rather lamentable."

Terry and Lisa nodded in agreement, clearly surprised themselves.

Personally, I was rather astonished myself. I had never been in the same Potions class as Harry, but I had heard that he was no talent at the subject; in truth, not many had true talent when it came to understanding the art and science of Potions, but apparently Harry had always scraped through. Why was he here?

It suddenly hit me. Obviously it had to be some sort of deal with Severus. Harry must have needed to do Potions and Severus was obliging him. But _why_? Severus _never_ bargained with students. It was very simple with Severus; he either liked you or he didn't. He either wanted you in his class or he didn't. Unless Harry _had_ obtained an Outstanding, and good on him if he had, then it was only plausible to think that Severus had ulterior motives in allowing Harry to take Advanced Potions.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I heard Terry call out to Anthony Goldstein, who'd come rushing down the hallway. Anthony had sat next to me at breakfast, very keen to make conversation. I wasn't sure if it was due to feeling self-conscious or not, but I had seemed to feel Severus' eyes upon me the whole time. Every time I had snuck a peek at the Head table though, he had been looking in another direction or else was reading his newspaper…or _pretending_ to read it.

It wasn't _my_ fault that Anthony had sat down next to me. I couldn't very well have told him to vacate the seat because my brother didn't approve. What if Anthony just wanted to be friends? Terry was, after all. Severus, however, didn't see things that way. He claimed to see things that I didn't see at all. I knew Severus was thinking of potential dangers to his role or people being used as weapons, but some part of me wished that he _wouldn't_ notice things in that part of my life. Other people had more freedom at school.

"Thank goodness," Anthony said breathlessly, when he reached us. "I thought I was going to be late."

"You'd know it if you were," Lisa said. "You know Snape has a zero tolerance level for lateness, no matter what the excuse."

Anthony nodded, rolling his eyes. He turned to me. "I'm sure he's pretend not to notice if _you_ came in late though."

"Don't count on it," I said evenly.

He smiled. "Really? Well, at least no one can say that your good Potions marks come from having a Potions Master for a brother. You've always been good at Potions."

"…Thanks," I said quietly, feeling uncomfortable. I was suddenly very conscious of all the people around us who had the opportunity of listening in. As it was, Terry was shaking his head slightly at Anthony and Lisa was giving me a knowing look, a smirk on her face.

Anthony was prevented from saying anything more when the door to the Potions classroom opened. Severus appeared in the doorway, an expressionless look on his face as his black eyes flitted up and down the line. He stood back to allow us entry. "In," he ordered and swept inside first

As we were filing in, the pile of books in Hermione's arms swaggered and the huge one on top dropped on my foot. I let out a gasp of pain. Lisa and Terry, who had moved ahead, hadn't noticed at all, and I was hoping that Severus hadn't seen it either.

"Oh, Armilla, I'm so sorry," said Hermione, looking mortified.

"That's alright." Grimacing from the pain caused by the heavy book, I bent down to pick it up from the stone floor. As I straightened up, I realised that only Harry, Hermione, Severus and I remained in the corridor.

"When you've finished trying to injure fellow students, Miss Granger," Severus said silkily, sneering at Hermione, "perhaps you'll allow me to start my class."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. _Honestly_.

Hermione flushed and muttered "Yes, sir."

I noticed that Harry was biting his bottom lip rather hard. I smiled to myself at his effort not to defend one of his best friends. He was certainly getting the hang of self control.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Well, then? If you're ready…"

I placed the book on top of Hermione pile and then followed them into the room. As Harry passed Severus, I noticed that my brother gave him the tiniest of nods. As I went to pass, Severus nodded down at my foot with an enquiring look. He had clearly noticed my slight limp. I nodded back to tell him it was okay, even though it really hurt. I had no doubt that if I admitted to an injury then Severus would be even nastier to Hermione.

As I came into the Potions classroom, I looked around for a place to sit. I frowned when I realised that I only had two options. There was a spare seat beside Draco Malfoy and another spare beside Anthony Goldstein. _Oh great_…what a choice. I did _not_ want to sit next to Draco Malfoy and Severus had told me to avoid him anyway. At the same time, Severus did not want me getting too close to Anthony. Right now though, considering my other option, I didn't really care. Anthony it was. After all, wouldn't it be expected that I would choose to sit beside another Ravenclaw?

I slowly made my way over to Anthony's table, my legs suddenly feeling like jelly, which didn't help the limp. Anthony greeted me with, in my opinion, an overly enthusiastic smile. I wished he would drop the act. I would have preferred being friends anyway. I didn't like this sudden attention from him. Was he out of his mind? He knew _Professor Snape_, Lord of curses and sarcastic comments, was my brother.

Severus closed the door with more noise than he usually did, causing several people to jump. Lisa and Terry, who were sitting adjacent to me, stopped giving me knowing grins when Severus caught their eyes and gave them a deathly glare. I was surprised that Severus hadn't directed his glare at Anthony. I suppressed a shudder. I could only assume that that meant that Severus was biding his time with Anthony.

He swept to the front of the room, his robes billowing out behind him and turned around dramatically, making his robes flourish around him. He really could be very amusing at times, even when he was trying not to be. This time last year, I would have seen this display as rather intimidating. I supposed that when you'd experienced many occasions of sobbing in his arms and hearing his soft words of comfort, watching him intimidate others became a little amusing.

"You are here," he began, his voice deathly quiet, "because you managed to achieve an Outstanding on your Potions OWL." His eyes scanned over every face in the room. "Do _not_," he enunciated, "labour under the delusion that your mark entitles you to permanent membership in this class."

I noticed Hermione gripping her quill very tightly. Harry, too, seemed to be hanging on to Severus' every word.

"This class is for the advanced," Severus went on, beginning to walk around the room. "If you do not keep up with the class, you will not be left behind in _here_, you will be left behind _outside_ the classroom door." He paused for dramatic effect and was rewarded with several looks of incredible anxiety, the most intense one coming from Ernie Macmillan, who was sitting in front of Lisa and Terry.

"That said," Severus said, looking with displeasure at a few faces in the room, including Harry, "I do not expect to see a few of you in here after the first couple of weeks. I was most surprised that some of you managed to scrape an Outstanding in this subject." He suddenly sneered. "But then, we don't all have the luxury of having our true abilities, no matter how lamentable, overlooked in favour of appeasing a famous face."

At this, many heads snapped in the direction of Harry, who went red, but whose face remained quite calm. The Harry I knew would have sent Severus the most fearful glare in response to such an allegation.

I snuck a peek at Draco Malfoy, expecting to see his deep appreciation for the Harry-baiting. He wasn't even looking in Harry's direction. Instead, he was examining his nails, a haughty expression on his pointed face.

Severus smirked at Harry, and then continued back towards the front of the room again. "My expectations remain high," he continued, "and I will not tolerate second-rate homework handed into me. Do make an effort to write in legible English, even if your organisation skills are indeed so abominable that you are forced to do your homework tasks in the middle of the night."

At this, several students, including a couple of Slytherins had the grace to look guilty.

"Now," said Severus, his voice commanding as he gestured at three vials on his desk. "I have a selection of advanced potions here, ones you'll be expected to brew by the time you complete the NEWT course."

He picked up the first one for everyone to see. It was completely transparent and could have passed for a vial of water. "Can anyone identify this potion?"

As usual, Hermione's hand was up before anyone else's. Severus ignored her, clearly intent on only asking Hermione as a last resort. A few other rather tentative hands gradually rose into the air.

"Mr Potter?" Severus drawled, looking at Harry, who had his hand half-raised. "Care to enlighten us?"

"It's a truth potion, sir," said Harry quietly. Hermione looked so surprised that all the eagerness of her waving hand became forgotten.

"And its name?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Veritaserum," he said finally, his cheeks flushing.

Severus nodded curtly. "Well then," he said indifferently, "it would seemed you actually bothered to do some reading, Potter. Better late than never."

Hermione pursed her lips as she put her hand down. Harry simply stared back at Severus, his green eyes seeming much brighter than usual.

"And what is the meaning of Veritas?" Severus asked, turning away from Harry.

Malfoy rolled his eyes as he put his hand in the air. To my surprise, Severus asked Lisa instead.

"It is Latin for truth, sir," she said confidently.

Severus nodded. "And the scent?" he asked, looking around the class. "Describe the scent."

Hermione's hand was the only one in the air. I knew as well, but I always felt funny volunteering information in Potions class. I generally only gave answers when Severus directly asked me.

"It is rather disappointing that so many of you cannot tell me such simple information," Severus sneered, ignoring Hermione's hand as he looked at everyone. His eyes settled on mine a split second longer. I knew what he wanted, but I didn't think it was fair to Hermione, who, in my opinion, put up with a great deal from Severus.

Severus sighed. "Very well. Miss Granger?"

"The scent is odourless, Professor," she said, the eagerness not reaching her voice, as it might have done once.

"Correct." Severus placed the vial back on his desk. "And why it is important that a truth serum be odourless?"

Hermione's hand flew into the air, as well as Lisa's and Ernie's. I decided to appease my brother this time, since he hadn't given Hermione a nasty reply. True, he hadn't praised her, but I knew that was expecting too much, especially in the company of Draco Malfoy. I raised my hand.

Severus took his time looking at the offered hands before making eye contact with me and nodding.

"Being odourless prevents it from being detected should it be slipped to someone," I said quietly.

Again, he simply nodded, turning back to his desk. "This one is rather more prominent," he said, holding up a second vial, which seemed to contain a sludge-like substance. "You may have read more about it in the media lately."

Harry and Hermione's hands shot into the air. Severus called on Harry again.

"It's Polyjuice Potion, sir," said Harry, his voice still as quiet as before.

"And I'm not surprised you know it," Severus replied, giving Harry a knowing look. Hermione frowned as she looked at Harry, who ignored her.

"And this?" Severus asked, holding up a third vial, filled with a golden substance.

Hermione's hand didn't fly into the air this time. I had never brewed this one, but I had read about it on one of Severus' books.

"Not you, this time, Miss Granger?" said Severus, smirking at her.

Hermione shook her head slightly, looking slightly cross.

I raised my hand halfway into the air, feeling self-conscious for some reason.

Severus nodded at me.

"It's Felix Felicis," I said softly. "Liquid luck."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Malfoy mutter something under his breath. Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, who were sitting in front, sniggered.

I felt fury rush through my veins. Merlin, I hated that boy.

"Correct." I knew Severus had seen them, but he pretended he hadn't. I was glad. I didn't want attention drawn to it.

"A rather intricate potion to brew," Severus went on, "with dire consequences if you make an error in the process. If correctly brewed, until the effects wear off you will find that all your undertakings will have a positive outcome, no matter how much doubt you place in a situation. Mr Boot?"

"Why don't people drink it all the time, sir?" Terry asked eagerly.

I noticed that Malfoy was actually looking at Severus with his undivided attention now, as was Harry, who seemed to be hanging on to Severus' every word.

"Because if it is not taken in moderation, giddiness, recklessness and general idiotic egotism shall overtake you," he replied, his eyes slightly narrowed, "qualities some people in here already possess in abundance."

This was met with silence. The other hands that had snuck into the air were lowered again. Severus sure knew how to take the excitement of an interesting potion away.

"Furthermore," Severus went on, "this potion is a banned substance in all organised competitions and there are heavy penalties in place. Today you shall attempt to brew it. Turn to page ten and begin."

There was immediately a much higher level of noise in the air as people hastily set about setting up their cauldrons and organising ingredients.

"I bet yours will be more impressive than anyone else's," Anthony whispered in my ear. "You do have a knack for Potions."

"No, I don't," I murmured back, running my finger down the list of ingredients.

"You're too modest, I'm sure," he said, smiling broadly at me.

I gave him a rather awkward one back. He was far from subtle.

"I'm going to the store cupboard," he said, getting up. "Would you like me to fetch your ingredients too?"

"No thanks," I replied. "I can fetch them myself."

"Suit yourself." He flashed me another smile and disappeared into the store cupboard.

I set up my cauldron instead and ordered my utensils before going to the cupboard myself.

Severus was standing in the doorway, monitoring the ingredients students were taking.

"You're taking far too long, Mr Goldstein," he said coldly, sneering at Anthony. "If you can't be efficient, I won't have you here."

"Yes, sir," Anthony said hastily, grabbing the last of his ingredients and rushing past me back into the classroom.

I didn't look at Severus as I collected my own ingredients. My mind was far too engaged with the situation I now found myself in. It was convenient for me that I actually had no interest in a relationship with Anthony. Severus would certainly be happy with that. I just didn't _like_ Severus closely monitoring the boys I talked to. If a boy so much as looked at me, Severus would react.

o o o o o o o o o o

"If that's a taste of what we can expect in Advanced Potions, I don't know how far I'll get," Terry said, as we were making our way to the courtyard for the morning break.

My friends had laughed after I had explained why I was limping slightly. They thought it was hilarious that Hermione, the bookworm, had injured someone with a book. Hermione had kept mouthing _sorry_ to me during Potions.

"At least our potions came close enough to resembling the real Felix Felicis," Lisa pointed out.

That was true enough. No one in the class had produced a perfect potion. Mine had turned pale pink, but it hadn't been the really pale pink the perfect potion required.

I wasn't sure whether to be annoyed at Severus or not at the moment. I was annoyed because he had hovered around Anthony's cauldron a little too frequently, making snide comments, causing the boy to become nervous and turn his potion bright orange.

I had been fuming about that because Severus had no right to do it just because he didn't like me sitting with Anthony. My annoyance had dulled somewhat when Severus had curtly asked Malfoy to remain behind after class. We had left a sullen Malfoy behind and I hoped it had something to do with making unnecessary comments in class.

"So how was it working with Anthony, Milly?" Terry asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"How do you think?" I said crossly, as we stepped into the courtyard. "I wish you wouldn't make those faces at me during class. It only encourages him."

"What's wrong with that?" Lisa asked, giggling. "Anthony's nice."

"Yeah, he's fine," I said, watching Anthony laugh with Michael Corner on the other side of the courtyard. "But that's all."

"Oh come on, Mill-" Lisa began.

"_No_," I interrupted, feeling agitated, but not sure with whom exactly. "That's all. I don't care that you two want to sit together. I just had the bad luck of being one of the last to come in. I had either Anthony or Malfoy to choose."

"There's nothing wrong with Anthony," Terry insisted, looking annoyed himself.

"I'm not saying there _is_," I said heatedly. "But I have no wish to enter a relationship with him. I don't appreciate the sudden interest. We're haven't really been friends or anything all these years. I haven't had a lot to do with him-"

"Then why don't you be friends first and see if anything happens?" Lisa suggested, her face earnest.

"Because I'm not _interested_," I insisted. "Besides that, I've told you that relationships are prohibited anyway."

"Snape might yield if he thinks the boy is respectable enough," Terry said impatiently. "I think it's stupid that he uses that control over you. If you want to date, you should date."

"Yeah, it's just _that_ easy," I snapped.

Terry glared at me. "I'm not saying it's easy, Armilla. Trust me, we both realise that some issues must be much harder to approach with Snape for a brother, but he's got to realise that you're sixteen."

"I think he's aware of that," I said dryly, pretending I hadn't seen the wave from Anthony from across the courtyard.

"Snape likes to control things, Mill," Lisa said patiently. "But he's got to let you have some control over your own life, no matter how dangerous these times are."

I stared at her, having nothing to reply to that.

"It's just that Anthony's real keen on you, Mill," Terry said quietly.

"Really?" I said mockingly, my eyes wide.

"You should give him a chance," Lisa said softly, looking over at Anthony, who quickly looked away.

"I don't want to," I said uneasily. "I've told you that."

"So, it's really not just because of Snape?" Terry asked, watching me closely.

I shook my head. I was being honest. I felt nothing for Anthony. The only boy who had ever sparked the tiniest amount of affection in me didn't even go to Hogwarts anymore.

"You'll have to let Anthony know you're not interested," Lisa said quietly.

"I know." A wave of bitterness suddenly swept over me. "Actually, I think Severus will do that for me."

"Oh, he's clearly noticed," Terry laughed. "He glared at Anthony all the way through Potions."

"You'd think Anthony would know better than to flirt with the Head of Slytherin's sister," I said.

"He probably thinks you're worth the death glares from Snape," Lisa said airily.

I looked uncomfortably back at her. I felt a little bad that I couldn't return the attention. I just…didn't feel that way.

"Just stay on friendly terms with him," Lisa said reasonably. "You just never know."

Terry nodded in agreement.

I rolled my eyes in response.

o o o o o o o o o o

I went down to Severus that night for some salve for my foot. I had been trying to avoid it because I didn't want my brother to use it against Hermione.

I found him cleaning up in his lab, some newly labelled potions vials sitting on the workbench.

"Good evening," he said, when he saw me in the doorway. "How is your foot?"

"A bit sore," I said indifferently, not wanting too much time or attention spent on the subject. "I came to ask for something to put on it."

"Let's see it then," he said, putting the last of his ingredients away.

I bent down and pulled off my shoe and sock. A dark purple bruise had formed there.

"That girl is a hazard," Severus said, glancing at the bruise. He reached inside his cupboard and pulled out a small jar. "Rub a small amount of that on it. It should reduce the pain and swelling. The bruise will disappear of its own accord."

"Thanks," I said, taking the jar. He watched as I bent down and started rubbing the balm into my foot.

"Your potion was near perfect today," he commented.

I glanced up at him before looking down again. "It was _hard_."

"It is a complicated potion to brew," he agreed. "Perhaps it would have been easier if you hadn't had Mr Goldstein pestering you with unnecessary comments every two minutes."

I ignored him. I finished rubbing the balm on my foot. I put my sock and shoe back on and straightened up. I held out the balm to him. "Thank you."

He shook his head slightly. "Hold on to it for now. You'll need to reapply it in the morning."

I nodded and put the small jar in my pocket. "Will you care if I don't answer questions in your classes?" I asked.

He frowned. "Of course I'll care. If you're referring to Draco Malfoy making inappropriate comments, I assure you that he's been dealt with."

I nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable about that. I watched as Severus closed his cupboard and locked it with a charm.

"Did the Ministry really insist that Harry could take Advanced Potions if he wanted to?" I asked.

Severus smirked in reply.

"It's not true then?"

"No, of course it's not true," he said casually, waving his wand to distinguish the lights. I followed him out to the sitting room where we sat down on the sofa.

"How did he convince you to let him take Potions then?" I asked. "Unless he did get an Outstanding…"

He let out a disbelieving grunt. "Potter and I came to an agreement of sorts over the holidays."

I frowned. "What sort of agreement?"

"I told him that I would tolerate his presence in my class if he would make a commitment to keeping up with the standard I expect."

"In return for what exactly?"

"In return for maintaining the skills I taught him over the holidays," he said smoothly, "not to mention maintaining a sense of self control."

"Oh." Well, so far he had been doing rather well in that regard. It still didn't seem like Severus to willingly have Harry Potter in his class, and Advanced Potions at that. "I thought you didn't bargain with students," I said suspiciously.

He raised an eyebrow. "Bargain with _Potter_? Of course not. This is for my own personal gain."

"Which is?"

He gave me a look that clearly said I was asking too many questions, but he answered all the same.

"I will have more control over Potter this way. I can monitor his progress more closely if I can see him more often. If he wasn't taking Potions then I would only see him in the scheduled private lessons, which isn't frequently enough in my opinion to make sure he's putting the effort in." He smirked. "The best part is, Potter knows I'm in control and that I'm aware of his aspirations to become an Auror. If he exercises the self control I've taught him and shows progress in the other skills as well, then I can help him reach his goal."

I stared back at him incredulously. "You want to help him become an Auror?"

"No," he scoffed. "I want complete control of him, like I had during the holidays and at the moment this is the way to do it."

"Why would you want that burden?" I asked, thinking this all sounded rather strange.

"Because Potter has a history of being reckless," he said simply. "My aim is to knock that irresponsible side out of him."

"Oh." Oh well, it was _his_ plan. As long as there were no more disputes between them.

"Now then," Severus said, his tone sounding business-like. "I have given you the opportunity to question me. Now it is my turn to question you."

The way his slightly narrowed black eyes were fixed so determinedly on mine made me feel uneasy.

"Okay." I knew what this was going to be about and I was not going to enjoy it.

"You willingly sat next to Mr Goldstein during class today," he said bluntly, a slight scowl on his face.

"Not quite _willingly_," I corrected, feeling cross. "It was a choice between him and Malfoy and I wasn't going to sit anywhere near Malfoy."

His face wasn't as hard as he stared back at me. Clearly, he hadn't noticed that morning that I'd had to make a split second choice.

"I see," he said. "It would appear to me, however, that you have yet to make it clear to that young man that you have no intentions to fulfil what is his apparent wish."

I said nothing. I didn't like talking about this with him.

"Am I correct?" he asked, his voice stern.

"Yes," I admitted.

"His behaviour has been far from subtle," he went on, scowling again, "and I _don't_ wish for it to continue."

"I know."

"Therefore, the next time you see him, you are to make it clear that you are not interested. Do you understand?"

"I'm _not_ interested in him," I stated, feeling irritated. "So of course I'll tell him that."

Severus looked a little annoyed. "I would expect you to tell him that either way."

I looked away.

Severus sighed. "This is clearly going to be one of those issues where you are going to build up your annoyances inside and verbalise it later."

I looked back at him. "Does it matter either way?"

"Either way?"

"Whether I keep everything inside for a long time or just tell you now." I tried to keep the resentment out of my tone. "You get to make the decisions either way."

He frowned. "When I feel it is necessary to, _yes_."

I said nothing. I stared down at the pattern in the upholstery.

Severus sighed again and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You spoke rather resentfully, Armilla. Clearly there is more on your mind."

I continued to stare at the upholstery for a moment, thinking about whether it was worth bringing up what Lisa had pointed out to me this afternoon.

"I wish you would let me make more decisions for myself," I said quietly, not looking at him.

There was a pause. "I see," he said. "Decisions of what nature?"

"I don't know," I said, feeling annoyed again.

"By that, you mean _dating_," he said. "Yes?"

I looked back at him. "Yes."

He didn't look angry, as I sort of expected him to, but he did look stern. That, of course, did nothing to cure my uneasiness.

"I have outlined the reasons before as to why I feel dating is not in your best interests at the moment," he said, each word spoken slowly and clearly. "I also told you of the potential danger a partner could be in through our links with the Dark Lord. If he is not pleased, the Dark Lord looks for links to cause suffering." He fixed his gaze firmly on mine. "Surely you understand this, Armilla?"

I nodded. I did understand that. "We're all in danger though. Malfoy dates. Half the Slytherins date. Even Harry Potter dates."

Severus looked irritated. "It doesn't matter what everyone else does-"

"I'm not saying that," I interrupted. "I'm saying that people in a lot of danger are still dating. If this war goes on for years will there ever be a time that I can too?"

He stared back at me, a blank expression on his face. "I didn't realise you were so keen, Armilla," he said quietly.

"I'm not," I said honestly. "I told you I have no interest in Anthony Goldstein. I would just appreciate having the opportunity to make the decision for myself if…" I trailed off; he knew what I meant.

Yet again, Severus sighed. "I don't like the idea of you dating, Armilla. You're only just sixteen."

"Then what _is_ the right age?"

He folded his arms, his eyes narrowed. "Perhaps when you're forty."

"_Severus_."

"Fine," he said dismissively. "When you've finished school is soon enough. What's the hurry?"

"There _is_ no hurry," I insisted. "I just want-"

"I know," he interrupted, looking moody. "You want the right to make that decision yourself."

I nodded.

He was silent for a few moments, clearly brooding. I wasn't at all inclined to be the first to break the silence.

"It is dangerous, Armilla," he said finally, looking over at me. "And that is not a ploy to keep you away from all young men." He sneered. "Think for example if, Merlin forbid, you dated a Weasley. From the Dark Lord's point of view, what can you tell me about that?"

"He wouldn't like it," I said quietly. "They're seen a blood traitors and muggle-lovers."

"Exactly," he replied, his dark eyes fixed intensely on mine. "And do you think that would bode well for us?"

"No," I admitted. He did have a point there.

Severus was silent again, lost in though. I sat listening to the sound of Morag hooting to herself in my bedroom.

"I am not going to forbid you from dating, Armilla," Severus said quietly, "but nor am I going to stand idly by and give you free reign in selecting the person you date, at least not while the Dark Lord is active. It's just not safe."

I nodded. "I'm not saying I'm in a hurry, Severus-"

"I know," he said, waving a hand aside. "But I'd like to come to an agreement for now that if a…desirable…person comes your way, I'd like to know of him and approve of your choice before you come to a mutual understanding with him. I just can't risk you dating someone that will either put us or the young man in more danger." His face now looked a little anxious. "That is the condition, Armilla."

"It's perfectly fair to me," I said, nodding. "Thank you."

Severus grunted in response. "Not that I'm happy about the idea," he grumbled. He suddenly fixed with me a rather hard expression. "No Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs," he said sternly.

"_Oh_." I pretended to look disappointed. I had the feeling he wasn't being completely serious anyhow.

"You will go far and wide before you find someone that I approve of, Armilla."

"Why?"

He looked and me and this time I definitely knew he was being serious. His face actually looked a little pained. "Because to me, Armilla, no one will _ever_ be good enough for you."

o o o o o o o o o o

I left the dungeons half an hour later, after having tea with Severus. I knew he was far from fussed with the idea of me dating, but I couldn't help being thrilled that he had relented enough to give me some power in the decision making. For a person who loved to be in control, this was a big step.

My mood seemed a lot lighter than it had been earlier, probably due to the talk with Severus and having my foot healed. I walked along the dungeon corridors, a spring in my step and with the sense of cheerfulness inside that I normally got after a successful talk with my brother.

As I rounded a corner I suddenly saw a pearly white figure in front of me. She was transparent, but I could make out all her features and clothes; a ghost. She had a kind, lined face that showed her age and she was wearing a very familiar set of robes, complete with the pearl necklace I had always admired as a child. I stared at her, completely stunned, and she simply smiled back, looking rather relieved.

"There you are, Armilla."

A tingle swept through my body and I swallowed. When I spoke, I barely managed a whisper.

"Merle?"

o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Please review! Comments are always appreciated.

I know it has been a very long time since you have seen a new chapter. If you are loyal to the story, I hope you will have patience when it comes to updates. At the moment my time is so engaged with work that I barely have the time to even _think_ about the story – as much as it pains me to leave it for so long.

I would rather the chapters come out slowly than take an extended break from it – which I have no plan to do. All I ask is patience from understanding readers. I do get the "Please Update!" reviews and it's nice that people are keen to read a new chapter, but please appreciate that my average chapter is over seven thousand words and one chapter can take hours and hours to write, over many, many days. When I have the time to go to bed before midnight (which hasn't happened for the last five weeks), I may have more time to get chapters to you more quickly! Until then, I hope you enjoy and appreciate the chapters at the pace they're coming. Thanks and do review! Coral Grace.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the identity of "that boy" who Armilla once felt a tiny something for…he has appeared before…he had a small scene in the first story and Armilla mentioned him in Snape's presence during the summer, barely registering that she had…


	15. The Black Memory

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

**Chapter 15**

There was the face that I hadn't seen in the flesh for nearly a year. Though it was transparent, I could see every detail on her face as if it was really her standing before me. It wasn't so much the face that irked me; hearing that voice, the only voice I had until the past year associated with home sent a strange sensation through me.

"Merle," I whispered, scarcely believing what was in front of me.

Merle frowned. "Why are you whispering, Armilla? I've been looking for you for a good twenty minutes. Have you fed the ducks yet? I'm sure Frank and Gladys would be feeling more than a little peckish by now."

"Pardon?" The _ducks_? We had owned ducks years ago. Merle had used my duck, Gladys, for our Easter dinner a few years before and I had never forgiven her for it.

Merle frowned, her ghostly form hovering up and down. "Honestly, Armilla, how often need I remind you? Those ducks won't feed themselves."

"How long have you been a ghost?" I asked, trying to ignore the thudding of my heart. In a bit of a twisted way, I was sort of excited to hear Merle's voice.

Merle looked indignant at my question. "A ghost?" she repeated. "What in Merlin's name are you talking about, child?"

"Merle, you're completely transparent," I said bluntly, frowning as I took in her slightly annoyed look. She seemed to think I was loony.

"Well, I've always been open with my feelings," she sniffed, "But I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm transparent."

"No, I meant literally," I said hastily. "I can see right through you."

"I must say I can't see right through you," she replied, looking even more annoyed. "You're making no sense at all."

I took a deep breath. This was very strange. My hand had instinctively reached into my robes for my wand. "I mean that you died last October and so I can't understand why you're here in front of me now. I can only guess that you're a ghost."

Merle looked taken aback. "Are you all right, Armilla?" she asked, concern on her face. "I'm wondering if you've been cursed or hit with some sort of memory charm…"

"I'm fine," I said, my hand fingering my wand. "But you_ died_, Merle. You had a stroke. You died at St Mungo's last year. There was a _funera_l."

Merle pursed her lips. "This is a very silly game, young lady. I am shocked that you would make up such horrid tales."

"I haven't," I insisted. "Don't you remember being sick, Merle? I came to school a week late last year because I was helping to take care of you."

"And of course I'm grateful for it, dear," she replied, his face still stern, "but you must not spread such tales. I am very much here, as you can see."

She reached her hand out towards me as if to embrace me. A huge part of me wanted to take it, or at least pretend to seeing as she seemed to be a ghost. Or _was_ she?

"No," I said quietly, taking a step back.

Merle gave me a hurt look. "What's the matter?" she asked softly, her hand held out to me. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head, taking another step back. "I have to go," I said, though my tone betrayed that I didn't really mean it. The twisted part of me was actually enjoying looking at her and hearing her voice.

"Go?" she repeated, moving, or rather, _floating_ towards me. "But I've only just found you. You wouldn't leave me here, would you?"

Her words resulted with a deep pang in my chest. I dearly wanted to reach out to her, but instinct took over as I took yet another step back.

"I've got to go," I said in a rush, turning and running in the opposite direction. I didn't look back. I refused to look back. I ran and ran, ignoring the pounding in my chest.

"Where are we going?"

I let out a startled cry as I heard the voice in my ear. Merle was right next to me, floating along as I ran. The joy I had felt at seeing her had now turned to fright.

"Will you go away?" I said, slowing down. It seemed I wasn't about to outrun a ghost.

"Go away?" she huffed. "What a way to speak to me!"

"I can't talk to you right now," I said, determinedly not looking at her. I was feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"That's fine," she said merrily. "Just having your company is all I need, my dear; that and your love."

I bit my lip, using all my inner strength to not look at her. Her voice was full of the love that I had been missing. True, I had gotten over her death, but you always miss that love…

"You haven't answered my question, Armilla," Merle said conversationally, as I walked along the dungeon corridor. "Where are we going?"

"To see my brother," I answered. I needed to show Merle to Severus. I had strong doubts that Merle was a ghost. I was hoping that Severus would be able to solve the mystery for me. Underneath I really knew that I was also seeking my brother out because I was frightened.

"Your brother?" Merle repeated. "Don't be daft, Armilla, you _know_ you don't have a brother."

"Do too," I said quietly.

"Don't be impertinent," Merle said. "I remember when you were five you said that you wanted a brother, remember? I told you that brothers and sisters are like hands and feet."

I stopped and stared at her, mentally berating myself for allowing myself to look at her. If I looked at her, I would want to_ keep _looking at her. It was strangely addictive.

"Yes," I said quietly, "I remember."

We walked along in silence until I reached the portrait that concealed the door to our quarters.

"What a dreary place," Merle commented. "Who lives here again?"

"Professor Snape," I said, knowing Merle would recognise the name. She clearly wasn't about to accept the fact that I had a brother if she clearly didn't know that she was dead.

"Severus Snape?" Merle said, frowning. "Yes, I know. That serious fellow in the Order with little sense of humour, I believe. A strict teacher by your reports."

"He has a sense of humour," I said quietly. "A very good one."

"If you say so," she said airily. "Become a little softer in class, has he?"

I ignored her as I activated the portrait and opened the door. When I got inside, I found the sitting room empty.

"Severus?" I called, willing my thumping heart to slow down.

I turned around to close the door and realised that Merle was no longer there. Frowning, I stood in the doorway and looked up and down the corridor. It was completely deserted.

"Merle?" I whispered, not sure if I would be relieved if she actually answered. I looked back into the room, wondering if Merle had somehow entered in front of me. I was clearly the only occupant in the sitting room. I looked out into the corridor again, feeling a little foolish for coming to my brother with a ghost that had now vanished.

"Armilla? What's the matter?"

I looked around to see Severus striding into the sitting room, a frown on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

I looked into the corridor again, now hoping that Merle would appear. I would look like a complete idiot claiming to have seen a dead person in ghostly form if I had no evidence to show.

I jumped as I felt Severus' hands close loosely on my upper arms as he peered over my head into the corridor. I felt something hard against my arm; Severus had his wand in his right hand.

"What are we looking at?" he whispered.

I shook my head. "Nothing now," I said softly, releasing myself from him. I closed the door and then turned around to meet his gaze.

He was regarding me with an anxious expression. "Something has happened, Armilla," he said seriously. "Care to enlighten me?"

"There's a weird ghost form of Merle out there somewhere," I said quietly. "She wouldn't go away."

Severus' eyes flashed at my information, leaving me feeling more than a little startled.

"What do you mean by _weird ghost form_?" he said. "Be explicit."

"I met her in the dungeons just now," I said shakily, feeling more upset than I probably should. "She was completely transparent, like a ghost and moved like one, but she didn't seem to understand that she was a ghost. She thought I was playing a joke on her."

"She recognised you then?" Severus' face was becoming stonier by the second.

I nodded. "She said my name as soon as she saw me. She would only talk of things that had happened in the past. She didn't seem to have any understanding of time because she was jumping from one thing to another. She thought she was alive and I still lived with her."

Severus continued to stare at me, lost in thought. He was clearly more than a little perturbed about this. "Did you tell her of events after her death?"

I shook my head. "I only mentioned that I had a brother and she thought I was making it up. She started talking about an old memory instead."

He nodded. "Did you tell her to go away?"

I nodded. "She was very offended." I looked away. "She was trying to make me feel bad for not staying."

"You tried to leave then?"

I nodded again. "I ran. I was running here to get away from her and then suddenly she was at my side." I looked over at the door. "She was right here when I opened the door." Where had she gone? I felt so silly.

Wand in his hand, Severus moved towards the door. "Stay here," he commanded.

"What are you doing?"

He turned around as he opened the door, his expression menacing. "Going hunting," he said silkily. He turned and was gone is a whirl of black robes.

I stared at the closed door, feeling odd. Too say that I was a little unnerved by all this was an understatement. Meeting a strange ghost-like creature at any time would be no cup of tea, but the fact that this creature had been Merle made it worse.

I wasn't sure what to feel. True, it had been nice to hear her voice and look into her beautiful, albeit transparent, eyes, but I was not feeling as emotionally attached as I thought I should. The truth was, if anything, I was feeling empty. That's why I was feeling so odd. It was like nothing was inside me.

A few minutes must have gone by before I realised that I had been standing there seemingly transfixed by the door.

I walked into my bedroom to find Morag, sporting a shade of sky blue today, sitting on top of the armoire, her favourite lookout spot. She hooted in greeting when she saw me and fluttered her wings.

"Hi, Morag," I said sitting down on my bed.

"Ahoy there, matey!"

I rolled my eyes as I turned my attention to Sir Rodrigo, the small pewter knight that Lisa had brought back from New Zealand. He was marching about on my desk, waving his sword at my music box.

"We're not on a ship," I told him, getting up to retrieve him. As I went to pick him up, he knocked on the box. "Are you there, Tarah?"

I rolled my eyes again. He had an obsession with doing that. I opened the music box and let the tune play. It was the music box that I had received from Merle, which she had organised to send me for my sixteenth birthday, many months after her death.

Sir Rodrigo paused at the sound of the music. "That's a pretty tune," he commented, tapping his helmet thoughtfully. He suddenly broke into a strange form of ballroom dancing.

Morag cocked her head and surveyed him through narrowed eyes, as if sizing him up for dinner.

"Stop standing on my foot!" Rodrigo bellowed. "You've got two left feet! He started doing a jig instead, completely out of time with the music.

My eyes fell upon the farewell letter from Merle sitting inside the box. I sighed and closed the lid of the box and Rodrigo fell to his knees, puffing loudly. Suddenly he jumped up again, clutching his helmet. "Nobody move! I've dropped my brain!"

"You never had one," came a dry voice. Severus was standing in the doorway, his wand still in his hand.

"Did you find anything?" I asked, feeling highly doubtful about the answer.

He shook his head. "I searched for traces of all types of magic that had been used recently in the vicinity. Nothing remotely suspicious came up."

I nodded, feeling annoyed. That would be right. Just my luck…in a twisted sort of way.

"That's not to say that it didn't happen," Severus went on, frowning at me.

I looked up at him. "Undetectable magic," I said quietly.

He nodded, looking grim. "Exactly."

We stood in silence for a moment. I had been hoping that this would be something that Severus would be able to solve quickly, especially seeing as his expertise was largely in the dark magic area.

Dark magic? My mind seemed to have come to the conclusion that it was definitely dark magic. Well, what else could it be?

"Do you think you'd be able to see it in my mind?" I asked, suddenly feeling enthusiastic that once I let my brother into my mind, he would see the whole thing.

He nodded. "I was thinking the same thing." He raised his wand. "_Legilimens_!"

I focused on the very recent memory, concentrating hard on the image of the transparent Merle in front of me, looking offended that I didn't want to talk to her. I could feel Severus in my mind, but something didn't feel quite right.

Severus cancelled the spell, looking irritated. "You mind doesn't seem to be letting me in, Armilla," he said.

I frowned. "But I was focusing on the memory. Having you in my mind didn't feel right."

He opened his mouth, no doubt to say something sarcastic, but I quickly interrupted. "- I meant that it felt like something else was there to stop you and I couldn't control it."

Severus' face became stony at my words. He calmly raised his wand. "Let's try again," he said quietly. "_Legilimens_!"

Again I felt his presence in my mind and I focused hard on the memory. I felt the other strange feeling again and this time I identified it as more of a push.

"I can't get in," Severus said harshly, looking furious. I wondered if it was his disguise for distress. I was starting to feel that way.

"I'm not the one blocking you," I said desperately. "I can't help it."

He sighed. He stared at me for a moment, clearly rethinking tactics. "You can see the whole memory in your mind?" he asked.

I nodded. "All of it."

"Don't focus on it this time," he said raising his wand. "Let me look for it. Are you ready?"

I nodded, trying to focus on Sir Rodrigo instead.

"_Legilimens_!"

The image of my knight only dominated my mind briefly as I felt Severus' presence in my mind. A few insignificant memories flashed by before I saw the ghostly Merle again. At once I felt a strange push in my mind and I knew Severus had not gained access to the memory.

As he cancelled the spell he scowled with frustration. "That's some advanced magic," he muttered.

"What do you see when you're being blocked?" I asked.

"Darkness," he answered. "Just darkness. I feel a push of sorts."

I sighed. "I hope it's not a lingering curse."

He nodded grimly. "That's my fear."

My heart plummeted as the seriousness of the situation hit me. "Why would someone use a curse with Merle?" I asked quietly, sitting on my bed once more.

My room wasn't really big enough to pace in, but Severus managed it all the same. "Because it's someone who is exploring all avenues possible to directly affect you," he said without hesitation. "Clearly the person believes using a deceased former guardian will unnerve you."

I suppressed my shudder. "But what's the purpose of the curse?"

Severus paused in his pacing and looked directly at me. "It's difficult to tell with undetectable magic," he said quietly. "What's more difficult is the fact that I wasn't able to trace the source." He raised his wand again. "I want to make sure your advanced magic is still intact. Use your mental shield to block me. _Legilimens_!"

I put the shield in place with ease, as I was used to doing.

Severus cancelled the spell, nodding. "Well, at least it hasn't affected your magic. He turned and swept out the door. "Come," he called.

I got up and followed him to the fireplace in the sitting room. He threw some floo powder into the fire and then stuck his head in, calling for Professor Dumbledore's office. He spoke briefly for a few seconds before he straightened up again and turned to me.

"Follow me to the Headmaster's office," he said. Before waiting for an answer, he stepped in a disappeared in the flames.

Feeling confused and more than a little nervous, I followed. When I stepped out of the fireplace a few moments later, I found myself in Dumbledore's large office, with company I had not expected to keep that night. It was strange to think that not long ago I was simply making my way up to Ravenclaw Tower for the night. Now I was in the Headmaster's office with my brother, Dumbledore, and surprisingly, Harry Potter.

Dumbledore was standing behind his desk and Harry was standing near the door. Harry watched, a small frown on his face, as I moved to stand next to my brother. Severus, as he often did in Harry's company, was looking completely indifferent.

"Good evening, Armilla," Dumbledore greeted, nodding at me. He turned to Harry. "Thank you for your company this evening, Harry. Remember the things I've told you to think about before we meet again."

Taking this as his dismissal, Harry nodded. "Yes, sir," he answered. He looked once more at Severus and I before he opened the door and left.

Severus immediately took out his wand and cast a sound proofing charm.

"I take it something serious has occurred, Severus," Dumbledore said, looking gravely over the top of his half-moon spectacles.

Severus nodded. "I came up with Armilla in the hope to borrow your pensieve, Headmaster." He then proceeded to tell Dumbledore all that I had told him, as well as what had happened when he had tried to view the memory. As the story went on, Dumbledore's face grew more and more solemn. I knew when the Headmaster looked solemn that I had cause to worry. I was feeling rather jittery.

"Rather advanced magic, I must say," Dumbledore commented when Severus had finished. He walked over to a black cabinet and retrieved the pensieve.

"Indeed," Severus said quietly.

Dumbledore looked up at me after he had placed the pensieve down on his desk. "Are you feeling no different to normal, Armilla?"

"I feel fine," I answered. Aside from feeling increasingly nervous…

"I doubt using a pensieve will make any difference," Severus said, "but if Armilla felt a push of sorts against me when I was trying to access the memory, I'd like to observe the result of placing the memory in the pensieve."

"I am rather curious myself, I confess," Dumbledore said, nodding. "Would you object to sharing the memory, Armilla?"

I shook my head. "I don't think you'll be able to see it though."

"We must try all the same," said Severus, gesturing for me to follow him to Dumbledore's desk. He showed me how to withdraw the memory from my mind with my wand.

"Is it meant to be that colour?" I asked nervously as I watched the blackened thread fall into the pensieve. The substance in the pensieve was neither gas nor liquid. It was a strange misty substance that was swirling in shades of grey. Severus and Dumbledore exchanged a serious look.

"It is supposed to be more of a silvery colour," Dumbledore explained, his eyes fixed on the substance. He looked at Severus. "Would you like to try it first Severus or see if Armilla can view the memory?"

Severus glanced at me and then looked back at the pensieve. "I'll take a look first," he said quietly. "Just to make sure there's no danger."

Dumbledore nodded and Severus bent forward to stick his head in. I half expected him to be thrown back, seeing as there had been a push in my mind before. He stayed that way for a few moments before pulling his head out again.

He looked rather annoyed. "Nothing," he said angrily, "just blackness again."

Dumbledore now had a go himself. When his head emerged a few moments later, he'd had the same result as Severus. "Very interesting," he said quietly. He looked at me. "Have a go Armilla. You may be able to see it."

Nodding, and feeling a little nervous because I had never done this before, I leaned forward and stuck my head in.

It was like someone had extinguished all the lights. There was no sound either. I was just surrounded by darkness. It seemed that, though it wasn't really possible, I was in a place that didn't really exist. I didn't stay long; I focused instead on pulling myself away and a moment later I had pulled my head out of the pensieve.

"Well?" Severus pressed.

I shook my head. "Nothing. I only saw darkness."

Severus started pacing again, a scowl on his face.

"It would seem the memory objects to being taken from Armilla's mind," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, watching Severus pace. "It seems she has exclusive access to it only when it's in her mind."

"Wonderful," Severus said dryly.

Dumbledore turned to me. "Armilla, this _ghostly_, for want of a better word, form of Merle may return. If she does, you are to inform either your brother or myself immediately."

I nodded. "Yes, sir." I was silently praying that I _wouldn't_ see Merle again, even though I had liked hearing her voice. Severus continued to pace as Dumbledore showed me how to collect my memory once more.

"I know you're capable, Severus," said Dumbledore, turning back to my pacing brother. "But I think you should take Armilla to the hospital wing so Madam Pomfrey can check her over. She can check her general health and I'll leave it to you to monitor any signs of having been affected by dark magic.

Severus stopped his pacing. For a moment he looked like he was going to argue, seeing as I never went to Madam Pomfrey for anything, but he gave in. "Very well," he said. "Goodnight, Headmaster." He nodded at me. "Come, Armilla."

"Let me know of any developments, Severus," Dumbledore said as we made our way to the door.

"Of course," Severus replied, looking thoroughly ill-tempered.

He didn't speak all the way to the hospital wing. I wasn't impressed either with the idea of having to be checked over by Madam Pomfrey. She was a kindly witch, but far too fussy and bossy for me. I had always avoided going to see her where possible. Severus was never fussy when I felt ill; he just treated the problem and got on with it.

Severus' silence and irritated expression left me in no doubt that he was worried. Having him look so anxious made me feel worse. It meant he didn't know how to solve it.

We entered the hospital wing and found Madam Pomfrey treating a small, sleeping first year Hufflepuff girl who seemed to be suffering from some sort of pox. "You poor dear," Madam Pomfrey said over and over.

The nurse looked up at the sound of our footsteps and fixed us with a curious expression. "Well, Miss Snape," she said a little stiffly, "I never thought I'd see you in here again. Your brother thinks himself perfectly capable."

"I'm saving you time with one less student," Severus said irritably. "For which I can see you are very grateful."

"Don't get impertinent, Severus," Madam Pomfrey snapped. "Don't forget how many times I treated you in here when you were a child."

Severus snorted. "I need you to check Armilla's general health," he said indifferently. "Headmaster's orders."

Thr nurse raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Severus raised an eyebrow himself, his lip curling. "As I said, it is the Headmaster's wish."

Madam Pomfrey glared at him. "You weren't spanked enough as a child, Severus."

Severus merely narrowed his eyes in response.

Madam Pomfrey sighed and gestured for me to follow her. "Come then, Armilla. Let us pray that very little of your brother's temperament has rubbed off onto you."

"Tetchy," Severus muttered, as Madam Pomfrey directed me to a bed and closed the curtain around us. When she turned back to face me, she gave me a look that plainly told me that she pitied me for being related to such a person.

I merely looked indifferently back at her. She sighed. "Your brother wears that expression."

I heard an amused sound come from outside the curtain.

o o o o o o o o o o

Twenty minutes later I was back in our quarters with Severus, having been checked over thoroughly by Madam Pomfrey's wide range of spells and declared perfectly healthy.

Severus was now carrying out his own spells, checking for traces of foreign or dark magic in my system. After a good ten minutes of trying out different things, he put his wand down and sighed. "I can't find a single trace of anything being wrong," he said.

"You sound disappointed," I said dryly, pushing myself further into the sofa.

"I'm cynical," he said simply. "I refuse to believe that this whole incident was innocent. There must be repercussions of sorts."

"Maybe it's just meant to be the effect of seeing Merle," I offered.

Severus met my gaze. "Perhaps," he said finally. "You're alright, aren't you?"

I nodded. "I suppose so…I just hope I don't see her again, that's all."

He inclined his head. "As do I." He sighed. "There's no point in returning to Ravenclaw Tower tonight, so you may as well stay down here."

I nodded. "I was planning on it." We were silent for a moment and the image of Merle suddenly came back into my head. I could nearly hear her voice in my head. _There you are, Armilla...Don't be daft, Armilla, you know you don't have a brother._

I slowly scooted over and pushed my way into my brother's arms. Severus kissed the top of my head. "You like to lead an exciting life, don't you?" he said dryly.

"I'd prefer an incredibly dull one," I said honestly. My only problem would be fending off Anthony Goldstein.

We were silent, listening to the sound of Morag's quiet hooting. "Do you think Father's involved in this?" I asked quietly.

There was a pause before Severus answered. "Without a doubt. It's the sort of advanced magic that is Father's style. Cowardly. The question is _how_."

It was just as I thought. I knew Father would want revenge.

o o o o o o o o o o

A/N And there you have it! Please leave a comment – I'm making use my sick day to get this chapter to you all. Yes, I'm admirably dedicated!

If you're worried about Dumbledore giving the blackened memory back to Armilla rest assured that the memory itself isn't harmful.

The conversation with Merle about brothers and sisters in this chapter stems from the opening to the story (the opening scene in "Like Hands and Feet"), which is a focus point for the plotline.

I'm sure many of you recognised my Jack Sparrow tribute with Sir Rodrigo's quote. Thanks to _Pirates of the __Caribbean_. I imagine him having some Jack qualities.


	16. Always

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

**Chapter 16**

I was rather uneasy for two reasons as I waited for Severus in the sitting room on Wednesday morning.  The first was my fear of running into a ghostly form of Merle again, and the other was the thought of having to make it clear to Anthony Goldstein that I wasn't interested.  He had made it perfectly clear the day before that he had rather high hopes.

"Now," said Severus, striding into the room, adjusting his billowing robes, "you are to inform me immediately if the _ghost_, for want of a better word, makes another appearance."

I nodded.  "I have a feeling that I'm going to be seeing her more than once."

"As do I," he said grimly.

"I'm still trying to work out how the impression of Merle could have been created so accurately," I said.  "Wouldn't it be hard to recreate an impression of a dead person?"

He nodded.  "It's clear that it's extremely advanced magic," he said, "but as to how it was created, I must admit that I have many questions myself…more questions than theories, unfortunately."

I shifted from one foot to the other, feeling more worried than before.  I hated it when Severus admitted to not knowing something; though it made him seem, well, _normal_, it also shattered my rather juvenile belief that he had the answers to all my worries.

"I'm worried," I said softly, following Severus to the door.

He turned back to gaze at me, his hand on the doorknob.  "I know," he said quietly.  "But we're going to do our very best to get to the bottom of all this…that's all we can do."

I nodded, feeling a new wave of annoyance at my father.  Severus and I had decided between ourselves that he was solely to blame for all this.  Who else could it be?

"Can't he just admit defeat?" I grumbled.

Severus shook his head.  "The only way you'll know that Father has been defeated will be when you receive a notice of his death."

"I don't think that's coming any time soon," I said resentfully, perfectly aware of how awful that sounded.

Severus, of course, having suffered Father in many more ways than I and for much longer, didn't judge me for such a comment.  "No," he agreed.  "That man's good health is a hindrance on our lives."

He reached out and grasped my hand.  "But, as I said, we'll do everything we can to defeat him again."

I nodded.

He turned and opened to door.  "Come," he said standing back to allow me to pass first.  "I must not be late for the many inane youths it's my pleasure to educate."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

Breakfast turned out to be a much easier experience than I had anticipated.  Anthony was seated too far away to strike up a conversation; all I had to do was pretend not to notice the very frequent smiles sent my way.

Lisa and Terry wanted to know why I hadn't returned to Ravenclaw Tower the night before, as I had said I would.  I avoided telling them anything about meeting a ghost-like Merle.  I was still feeling a little strange about it and for now I was happy to keep it between my brother, Dumbledore and myself.  I simply told my friends that I had stayed rather late with Severus, looking over homework and I had missed curfew.  They bought the excuse with no suspicion, seeing as I had done this more than once before.

I was glad that there was enough going on the hold everyone's attention elsewhere anyway.  Many people at our table were gawking at the amount of owls that had delivered parcels or letters to Harry Potter since breakfast had started.

"He looks rather embarrassed about it," Terry said, watching as Harry, a little pink in the face, pushed the parcels aside and tried to start up a conversation with Hermione instead.  Ron picked up one of the letters and laughed as he read it aloud to Seamus, who roared with laughter.  Harry reached over and grabbed the letter from Ron's hands, giving him a half-hearted glare.  Ron wisely went back to his breakfast, watching Hermione instead as she spoke to Harry.

"It's certainly a change from last year," said Luna.  "Remember when he was receiving hate mail?  People thought he had gone mad."  She looked around at us, her eyes wide, "but I reminded him very often," she said in a dreamy voice, "that he was just as sane as I was."

Lisa choked on the pumpkin juice she'd been drinking and Terry reached over to clap her on the back.  "Quite right," she said hoarsely, smiling at Terry.

Anthony caught up with me as we were leaving the Great Hall to head to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"Would you mind walking with me to Slughorn's class, Armilla?" he asked, giving me a small smile.

Lisa and Terry paused, both looking uncomfortable.  They both knew how keen Anthony was and how unenthusiastic I was.

"Yeah…sure," I said uncomfortably, trying to return the smile.

"Excellent," said Anthony, grinning at me.

Oh dear.  I felt really horrible and I hadn't even told him no yet.  Anthony was a perfectly nice boy; it wasn't his fault that I didn't like him that way.

Lisa and Terry turned around and walked towards the classroom without a backwards glance.  I really wanted to catch up with them. 

"So," said Anthony, as we began to walk, "looking forward to old Slughorn's class?  I find them quite interesting."

"Yes," I said, trying to quicken the pace; Anthony seemed content to move slower than an incapacitated snail.

"You're quite possibly the best in the class," Anthony went on, smiling at me again and making no effort to walk faster.

"No, I'm not," I said honestly.  "There are many skilled people in our class."

Anthony laughed.  "You're so modest, Milly," he said.  He looked a little startled when I frowned at him.  "I can call you that, can't I?  Terry calls you that."

I shook my head.  Draco Malfoy had asked me the same question when he'd wanted me to go out with him.  "No," I said flatly.  "Terry's the only one who gets away with it.  I don't want to encourage it."

"Oh, okay," Anthony said, nodding.  "I suppose Terry would be able to get away with it, seeing as you two have been friends since First year."

"Mm," I said, starting to walk faster.

Anthony finally took the hint and quickened his pace.

"I was wondering, Armilla," he said, looking rather nervous, "if you'd like to have lunch with me today."

I looked over and saw his earnest face.  Merlin, I felt simply awful.

"We could eat near the lake," he suggested, giving me a nervous smile.

I hadn't realised that my nails had been digging into my skin.  I unclenched my hands and looked ahead of me for a moment.  I could see Lisa and Terry way up ahead in the corridor, walking hand in hand.  Terry was laughing hard about something.

I took a deep breath before looking over at Anthony again.  He was staring at me, his face expectant.  "Thank you for asking, Anthony," I said, genuinely.  "It's really nice of you to ask, but I don't think it's a good idea."

His happy, albeit nervous face, didn't falter for a few seconds.  Clearly he hadn't been expecting that sort of answer.  After a few, terribly awkward moments, his face became crestfallen.  "Why not?" he asked quietly, coming to a stop.

I stopped at as well.  "Because I'd rather just be friends," I said softly, conscious of all the students in the corridor with us.  "I don't want to ruin that."

Anthony's face became obstinate.  "But I'm not happy with things that way," he said earnestly, "it could be so much better than that.  Do you want to even try it and see how things go?"

I shook my head.  "Anthony," I said, feeling terribly uncomfortable.

Anthony gazed at me with a disappointed expression.  He let out a sigh, looking away.  "I suppose your brother has something to do with your answer?"

I shook my head again.  "No."  Of course, Severus _had_ expressed his disapproval, but I wasn't about to tell Anthony that.  I was sure Severus expressed disapproval about a great number of people he met, particularly students.

"Come on, Armilla," Anthony said quietly, looking a little annoyed.  "You can tell me."

"I did tell you," I said, a little crossly.  "I'd like to remain friends.  I like it that way."

Anthony looked away again, shaking his head.  "Well, _I_ don't, and I'm sure you'd feel differently after a while."

"Come along, come along!" boomed a voice from behind us.  Slughorn was coming up the corridor, looking an extravagant sight in his violent blue frockcoat with sapphire buttons.

"Don't want to be late for class, do we, Miss Snape, Mr Goldstein?" he said merrily, waving his hands in front of him as a gesture to start walking.

"Yes, sir," said Anthony quietly.  He took off an incredible pace and caught up to Kevin Entwhistle and walked with him instead.

Slughorn, much to my displeasure, took the opportunity to walk with me.  "An admirer, Miss Snape?" he asked, winking at me.

I frowned.  "No, sir," I said resolutely.

He chuckled.  "So serious; Severus used to give me the same look when I questioned _him _about the ladies."

I stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate, but he didn't.  "Oh, yes," he said, chuckling to himself.  "I will flatter myself and say that I am responsible for many Hogwarts student romances that went on to great marriages."

"How wonderful, sir," I said dryly.

"Indeed, yes," he said, inclining his head.  "I'm sure there are many beaus at this school who'd like to win your favour."

"I'm not sure that I am entirely enthusiastic about that at present, sir," I said politely, trying to sound disinterested.  Honestly.  Why did he have to walk with me?

"So well spoken," he chuckled again.  "And with such a polite manner that subtly told me to mind my own business."

I allowed myself to laugh.  "Not as subtle as I thought, then," I said.

He laughed again.  "So like dear Severus.  It's a shame you're not in my old House Armilla.  You'd be a credit to the great House of Slytherin."

"I'm a credit to the even greater House of Ravenclaw, sir," I returned.  "Severus will tell you that."

He smirked.  "Cheeky reply.  Severus is very blessed to have you."

I smiled.  "Of course he is."

We reached the classroom and I joined Lisa and Terry at our usual row of desks towards the back of the room.

"_Well_?" Lisa mouthed to me.

"Just chipper," I said sarcastically.

"Didn't take it well, then?" Terry murmured.

"Not really," I replied, sitting down.  I spotted Anthony sitting down a few rows ahead with Kevin.

_At least that's over_, I thought to myself.  I felt horrible.

"Don't get too comfortable, folks!" boomed Slughorn as he came to stand at the front of the room.  "I want to put you into your research pairs today."

I inwardly groaned.  I had been hoping that Slughorn had forgotten about wanting to pair me with Harry Potter.  It wasn't that I didn't like Harry; we had actually gotten along a lot better towards the end of our stay at Grimmauld Place; it was just that I knew Severus didn't like idea one bit.  I didn't want him being nastier to Harry on my account if we didn't do well on Slughorn's tasks.  Severus would no doubt blame Harry.

"Alright then!" said Slughorn, clapping his hands together.  "I have mentioned before, ladies and gentlemen, that I want to promote inter-House unity among my students.  I am therefore going to be delegating a homework research task that should take you an extended duration to complete.  You will spend your own time before or after classes meeting up with your partner to share research or findings and agree on various courses of action to give direction to your task."

Somewhere behind me I heard a groan that sounded like it came from Ron Weasley.

"Mr Weasley," said Slughorn pleasantly, "let me introduce you first to your partner, Miss Lisa Turpin."

Lisa pursed her lips, clearly not enthusiastic about the idea.  If there was anyone less passionate about studying than Ron Weasley, we had yet to meet the person.  Lisa, on the other hand, rivalled Hermione in her studying habits.

"Miss Hermione Granger," said Slughorn pleasantly, "you will be partnering Mr Anthony Goldstein."

Anthony turned back in his seat and gave Hermione a small smile.  He knew he'd been partnered with someone willing to work as hard as your usual Ravenclaw.

"Mr Terry Boot," Slughorn continued, ignoring the glare Ron was now giving Anthony, "you will carry out your research with Miss Lavender Brown."

Terry's fake smile said it all.  I bit my lip in an effort not to laugh, while Lisa pursed her lips again.  Lavender did not have a good reputation with boys.

"Mr Harry Potter," Slughorn said loudly, "you will have the pleasure of doing your research with Miss Armilla Snape."

We both nodded; no one looked surprised, seeing as Slughorn had mentioned this before.  For some reason though, a couple of the Gryffindor girls were giving me resentful looks.  Harry merely gave me a small smile.

Slughorn finished delegating partners and then told us to rearrange our seating arrangements so we would be sitting next to our partners.  Once we had finished, he came around to each pair with a piece of parchment detailing the nature of each research task.

When he came to Harry and me, Slughorn winked at us.  "I expect good results, you two," he said, handing me the parchment.  As he walked away, Harry rolled his eyes. 

"A bit much, isn't he?" he muttered.

"Just a tad," I replied, unrolling the parchment.  I smoothed it out on the desk so we could both read it.

It wasn't too bad.  We had to extensively research innovations in Defensive Magic and explain how it had shaped the wizarding world, both the good and the bad.  We also had to decide upon a specific area of defensive magic and use our knowledge and research to design a new concept and possibly create a whole new spell.  We had to give a presentation to the class in December.

"Well, there's some work," said Harry, after we'd finished reading.

I nodded.  "There's many ways we can go with this."

"The history part aside, it's not a bad assignment," Harry said, reading it again.  "It would be interesting to create a whole new spell."  He looked over at me.  "Any ideas?"

I shook my head.  "No, but we've got plenty of time to think about it.  We might get ideas from the research part…I think that's the point."

He nodded.  "Think your brother will shed any light on all this?  It's an area of interest for him, after all."

I gave a dry laugh.  "He may point us in the direction of certain books, but I'm sure handy hints will be minimal."

Harry smiled.  "Nice try, eh?"

o o o o o o o o o o o

I didn't see Severus alone again until Friday evening when I was due to spend the night in our quarters in the dungeons.

Since Tuesday night, I hadn't seen the ghostly Merle again and I was more than a little relieved.  Perhaps, if I was _very_ lucky, her appearances weren't going to be frequent, if at all.  Severus had been leaving me messages on my chocolate frog card the last two nights, wanting reports on anything suspicious.  The truth was, everything was going along so…_normally_.  I felt a little paranoid, like I had to look for things to go wrong.

I went down to the dungeons shortly before dinner.  Severus and I generally ate in the sitting room on Friday nights.  Seeing as I was early, I decided to check Severus' office to see if he was still there.

I assumed right, finding him frowning down at a piece of parchment.  As I came closer I could see that the piece of homework already had several red lines slashed across it.

"The First years' first batch of homework is living up to my usual expectations," he said, ruling another line through something and proceeding to write what was probably a scathing comment.  "I am assuming this child is muggle-born," he said, narrowing his eyes at the parchment.  "She's comparing the texture of a Forgetfulness potion to a…" he squinted down at the parchment, "a _sludgie_…whatever that is."

"It's a muggle drink," I informed him.  "It's really thick stuff.  You drink it through a straw.  I had a raspberry one once."

He raised an eyebrow, looking disbelieving.  "Did you enjoy it?"

I nodded.  "Yeah, until I was sick.  They're loaded with sugar."

"I assumed so," he said dryly.  "I suppose Matilda introduced you to such an offensive concoction?"

I nodded.  Matilda had always involved Merle and I in her discoveries throughout her career in Muggle Relations.

"You know," I said thoughtfully, watching as Severus ruled yet another line in the parchment, probably over the sludgie remark, "she's quite right in drawing that comparison.  Sludgies do have a very similar texture to Forgetfulness potions."

Severus looked up with a dour expression, clearly not embracing this new enlightenment.  "Well, the child cannot assume that her teachers are always going to know what muggle-ish things she's talking about," he said finally.

I shrugged.  "She's only a First-year.  Chances are she only just found out the wizarding world exists."

Severus gave a non-committal grunt, writing another comment before tossing the parchment aside and picking up another.  I caught sight of the mark and was happy to see that the child had at least passed.

"Are you nearly finished?" I asked.

"I have one more that I would like to have out of the way before dinner," he answered, his eyes on the parchment.  "That way you and I can duel tonight."  He looked up.  "Did you have a violin lesson with Professor Flitwick last night?"

I nodded.  "Yes."  Flitwick and I had arranged to continue my violin lessons on Thursday evenings.

He nodded and turned back to his parchment.  A knock on the door drew a big sigh from him.  "Enter," he called.

The door opened and Harry stepped in, a roll of parchment in his hand.

"Potter," said Severus, narrowing his eyes as he put his quill down.  "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Harry closed the door behind him before speaking.  For someone who had spent a fair amount of time with us over the holidays, he looked a little uncomfortable.  It just showed the efforts Severus went to keep _hospitable_ off his list of personal traits.

"I came to hand in some homework to you, sir," Harry said politely.  "I know I'm supposed to hand it in to you on Monday when we have our lesson, but Professor Dumbledore told me to ask you if you can change the day."

Severus frowned.  "Why?"

Harry shook his head.  "I don't know, sir.  I'm meant to meet with him at seven-thirty.  I couldn't imagine we'd be finished by eight o'clock, when I'm meant to be down here."

"No," Severus agreed.  He sighed.  "Well, I'll see you on Wednesday at eight o'clock instead then.  You will continue to practise until then and I shall know if you haven't."

By Severus' accounts, Harry had been getting better at Occlumency and maintaining self control.

"I _have _been practising," Harry said earnestly.

"Mm, we'll see," my brother replied, holding his hand out for the roll of parchment.  "And you completed your written homework rather early, I see.  I hope that doesn't mean it will be of a lesser quality."

"I don't think so, sir," Harry said quietly, handing it to him.  "I found it difficult though."

Severus gave no reply to that.  He unrolled the parchment and skimmed the first couple of paragraphs.  "It appears sufficient," he said finally, "but I will of course pay it closer attention when I have the time.  Is that all, Potter?"

Harry nodded.  "Yes, sir."  He turned to me, pulling something out of his pocket.  "Armilla, I ran into Professor Slughorn on my way down here."  He handed me a piece of parchment.  "He wanted me to give you this when I saw you on Sunday morning, but I may as well give it to you now."

"What's this?" Severus asked sharply, as I took the parchment.  "What reason do the two of you have to meet on a Sunday?"  Realisation suddenly dawned on his face.  "I suppose you two have been paired for that Defence Against the Dark Arts assignment?"

"Yes," I answered, as Harry nodded.

"Wonderful," Severus muttered.

"It's an extended research task," I told him.  I proceeded to explain the nature of our assignment.  Despite himself, I knew my brother well enough to detect a faint interest in his eyes as I explained.

"Well then, Potter," he said, looking sternly at Harry when I had finished.  Harry stared resolutely back at him.  "I expect you to work hard and achieve high marks.  If I am not satisfied with the outcome of this research task you will suffer my displeasure.  Do you understand?"

Harry nodded.  "Yes, sir."  I could tell that he resented being spoken to in such a way.  I would have too.

Severus nodded curtly.  "Very well."  He gestured towards the door.  "Dismissed."

Harry looked at me.  "See you tomorrow," he murmured.

"Bye."

He turned and was gone in seconds, which was hardly surprising given his warm welcome.

I looked back at me brother.

"If you're about to question anything I just said to Potter," he said before I had the chance to say anything, "you would be wise to keep it to yourself."

His warning look told me not to waste my breath.  Instead I occupied myself by opening the folded parchment Harry had given me.  I groaned when I saw what it was.

_Dear Miss Snape,_

_I would be delighted if you would join a small party of students at a dinner in my office, to be held next Friday night (13th September) at __7:00pm__._

_Regards,_

_Professor Slughorn_

"An invitation?" Severus drawled, without looking up.

"How did you know?" I asked, surprised.

Severus scribbled a mark on the parchment in front of him and placed it on top of a large stack.  He looked up.  "Blaise Zabini came to me not half an hour ago with his invitation."

"Oh."  I looked back down at the invitation.  "It gives no RSVP."

"That's because he expects you to attend," he said simply, standing up.

I frowned.  "Do I _have_ to go?"

He shook his head.  "Not if you don't wish to.  I am not concerned either way."  He straightened a few things on his desk before moving towards the door, gesturing for me to follow.  "However," he went on, opening the door, "you will find that Slughorn will pester you until you _do_ attend one of his gatherings.  They're fairly harmless."

"Did you used to go to them?" I asked, stepping past Severus into the draughty corridor.

"Only when I could think of no more excuses," he replied, closing the door and warding it.  "It was a little hard to avoid my Head of House."

He didn't speak again until we had arrived at our quarters.  Dinner was waiting for us on the table.  We washed our hands and then sat down to eat.

"It would probably be wise to go to this dinner," Severus said, serving me stroganoff.  "Hopefully then Slughorn won't pester you too much to go to others.  In any case, as I've said before, it can be useful for you to remain in his favour."  He glanced at me as he placed my plate down in front of me.  "In any case, he already holds you in high esteem."

"Does he?" I said, disinterestedly, watching him serve himself.

"Does he indeed," he scoffed.  "I was congratulated in the staffroom on Wednesday afternoon for having-," he frowned, "-now how did he phrase it…ah yes, he congratulated me for _having a sister of fine charisma and wit_."  He looked at me expectantly.  I couldn't tell if he what he thought about that.

Either way, such words didn't really move me.  "He strikes me as the sort who hands out praise readily," I said.

"He does," Severus acknowledged, picking up his knife and fork.  "But there's only a select number of people who truly impress him.  You're without a doubt on that list."

"I didn't mean to," I said, picking up my own cutlery.  "I'd rather not talk to him if I can help it."

We ate for a couple of minutes before Severus suddenly smirked.  "Incidentally," he said, putting his glass of water down, "Slughorn did mention that he was talking to you straight after a rather dissatisfied Mr Goldstein fled the scene."

I paused to frown at him.  "Reports everything, does he?"

"Well?" Severus pressed, ignoring my comment.

I gazed at him for a moment, choosing not to verbalise my present thought that male teachers seemed to enjoy their gossip as much as the female ones.

"I told him no," I said simply, turning back to my meal.

Severus actually looked disappointed.  "That's all?"

I nodded.  "That's all."

"And how did he take it?"

"He wasn't happy," I said, "but you couldn't really expect someone in that situation to be."

"No," Severus said softly, staring at me.

"He got partnered with Hermione for the research project," I said, trying to direct the conversation away from going through the particulars.

"Ah, two blows in one day," he said, shaking his head.

I glared at him.  "I think it made his day better," I said honestly.  "I'm sorrier for Lisa.  She has to do her project with Ron Weasley."

Severus grimaced.  "Yes, well I suppose she is worthier of my pity then."

"Harry and I are only meeting on Sunday morning to look for books in the library," I told him.

"I may have a few useful books," he said, his eyes roving the many books on the shelves across the room.  I highly doubted he could read the titles from where we were sitting; perhaps he could recognise all the spines.

"I hope so."  I had brought up the subject in the hope that Severus would mention his own books.  I was normally allowed to use the books kept in the sitting room, but I had been wondering if Severus would change his mind because Harry was involved.

"Make sure Potter pulls his weight," Severus said, scowling.  "I don't want him attaching his name to anything that is all your work."

I nodded.  "I think he will work hard."

Severus snorted.

o o o o o o o o o o o

We practised duelling after dinner.  We were still working on Severus' bubble hex idea.  I wasn't entirely confident that I would ever be good enough to shield a bubble hex that had the force of an Unforgivable.

"Last one," Severus said, after we'd been duelling for over an hour.

I watched as he cast a whitish sphere and proceeded to cast hexes directly into it, giving the sphere a reddish hue.  Without warning, he directed the sphere to hurl directly at me.

I just managed to block it; I felt the power of it hit my mental shield and I couldn't put all my focus into returning my own hex at the same time.

"I still can't fire back as strong as I'd like to," I complained, when we saw down.

"Patience is a virtue, Armilla," Severus said, leaning back into the sofa.  "The fact that you're managing to block a hex of that force is all I ask at the moment.  You want to conquer too much too quickly."

I shook my head, running my hand along my wand.  "I'd rather be prepared for surprises," I said quietly, thinking of my encounter with Father three months ago.  I couldn't believe three months had passed since then.  I could remember every detail like it had just happened.  It still surprised me that after all Father had done, it was still my old governess, Rougier, who I hated more.

"That one sentence speaks volumes," Severus said, breaking me out of my reverie.  "However, it's difficult to be prepared for surprises.  That's the advantage."

"You know what I mean," I murmured, putting my wand away.

I felt a hand run through my hair and as I leaned back he brushed it against my cheek.

"Always," he said softly.

o o o o o o o o o

"So where to start?" I muttered, looking at the rows and rows of books.

"That's always the hardest part," said Harry, his eyes scanning the titles in front of us.  "Did you ask Snape for any ideas about what books to use?"

I nodded.  "He has some I can borrow, but I'm never allowed to take them outside those rooms.  I'll have to take notes from them and show you."

Harry nodded.  "Thanks."

We collected a bunch of books and sat down at a table as far from Madam Pince as we could get.  The library was deserted save for a couple of Seventh years.  We spent over an hour selecting useful ones and jotting down notes.

"Hopefully these will give us some direction in developing a new form of defensive magic," I said, skimming over my notes.  Again, that sort of thing was Severus' area of expertise.  I wasn't really keen on going to him for help though.  I wanted to prove to him myself that Harry and I would be able to come up with something on our own.

"Actually," said Harry thoughtfully, "I have a book that has a few ideas."

"We can't take the ideas though," I said.  "Chances are that if they're been published, they've been properly developed by now."

"No," Harry said.  "I meant that-" he paused, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable.

"What's the matter?"

Harry looked a little doubtfully at me.  "I suppose I can trust you," he said finally.  "After all, you did give Sirius' mirror back to me without telling your brother about it…and I would rather tell you about the book because I really like the ideas in it."

I nodded.  "You can trust me."

Harry nodded.  "I've got a book on defensive magic," he said finally.  "Well-" he scratched his head, "-it's not good because of what it's about; it's the notes in the margin that make it good.  The owner had some creative ideas.  Seeing as the ideas were just notes, I doubt the owner of the book ever properly developed them."

"Who was the owner?" I asked, intrigued.

Harry reached into his bag and pulled out an extremely battered copy of an old defensive magic book.  The navy blue cover looked like it had been repaired many times.

Harry flipped it open to the cover page where I saw two different handwritings.  The first was a rather large scrawl, but the first name had been crossed out.

_Christian Potter._

Underneath the crossed out written part was another name.  A name I was very familiar with.

_Lucia._

"I found this book during the summer," Harry said quietly, giving me a knowing look that meant he was talking about Grimmauld Place.  "Obviously they, well Christian at least, were my relatives."  He grinned.  "Isn't that amazing?"

I nodded, at a loss for words.  _Lucia…Lucia Potter_.  My brain was working in overload.  My _Great Aunt Lucia_.  My namesake.  Harry had no idea that we were distantly related.  Severus preferred to keep it that way.  He had no idea that if my existence hadn't been discovered, Harry had been next in line to inherit the Merrigan Estate. 

"What's even better," Harry went on excitedly, "is that it must have been my father who also owned it because there are two other people who constantly have conversations throughout this book and one of them has my mother's name.  If the book belonged to the Potter family, my father must have used this at school."  He pushed a page towards me.  "Here – look."

I looked down and read the short conversation.

_Beat you in Potions this morning._

_Only because you copied me._

_Did not._

_Did too._

_Did, did, did…_

_You're so immature, Lily…_

"Funny, huh?" Harry said, smiling down at the page.

"Mm," I said, too shocked to say anything more.  Harry seemed so caught up in his happiness of being able to get to know his parents through the book.

_One_ of them at least.

I certainly recognised the handwriting of the second person in the conversation.  I would know it anywhere.  It had changed a bit since then, but there was no mistaking that cramped, spiky writing.

o o o o o o o o o o

A/N  I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.  Thank you for your patience; I know it was a terribly long wait for this chapter, but as I've said before, I'm faced with two options: give up the story entirely or update as often as my busy schedule permits me to.  Seeing as I couldn't bear not to tell you the rest of Armilla's sequel, since I have it all planned, I am happy to go along with updating when I can…and I do love writing Armilla and Severus.

As far as the last scene goes, members of the _Armilla Yahoo_ page can re-familiarise themselves with the Merrigan family tree to see how the Christian/Lucia Potter/Lily storyline will fit in.  Coral Grace.


	17. The Book

**Chapter 17**

What on earth was I going to do? I had been in many a predicament before, but this one seemed to cause the type of mental stress that made you want to take a Forgetfulness Draught. I would have preferred to have been partnered with someone else so I wouldn't have seen this book.

But, as rational thought stepped it, I realised that sooner or later I would have noticed that something was amiss. If I saw Harry and other students, particularly DA students, performing spells that I knew exclusively belonged to Severus, I'd have worried about how they'd learned them. As it was, how could I keep this from Severus?

I watched Harry as he smiled down at the book; he clearly adored it and why shouldn't he? He thought the book held the entries of his mother and father. I would have savoured such a thing too and I hadn't known my parents. The problem was, of course, that the teenager Harry was admiring in the book, the teenager who was clearly friends with his mother, the teenager he believed to be James Potter, was in fact, Severus Snape.

"It's such good luck that I found the book," Harry said happily, flipping through the pages. He paused at a page covered with another conversation between my brother and Lily. "Here," he said, nodding down at the page. "Read that one."

Biting my lip, my mind struggling to find an excuse not to read what was on the page, I looked down at it.

_That Bubble Shield charm you came up with is fantastic. I tried it out on Mulciber today and he sprouted boils all over his face!_

_I know, I saw him going to the hospital wing. I think he'll think again before he hexes you._

_Hm, I wonder what's for lunch…_

_You're always hungry, Lily._

_And you're never hungry enough. You're far too skinny._

_Am not.__ At least I'm not a great, fat lump like Pettigrew._

Harry shook his head. "Pettigrew," he said bitterly. "It seems my dad thought he was a bit of an idiot even then."

"Yeah," I said, nodding. _So did Severus_, I thought grimly.

"I was wondering what Mum meant by the Bubble Shield," Harry went on, flipping back through the pages, "and then I found it right here in the book. See?" He pushed the book towards me. The page margins were full of notes in Severus' cramped handwriting.

Sure enough, all the details of the Bubble Shield were there, and I could see that Severus had developed it over time. He had gone back several times to cross things out and add alternative wand movements.

"It's excellent," Harry said enthusiastically. "It's such a great idea. It could count as an innovation in defensive magic, don't you think? We could focus our research assignment on defensive shields."

I nodded, feeling utterly uncomfortable.

"I wonder what my dad would think of us developing his ideas." Harry started flipping through the book again.

"Don't know," I said quietly. I knew what _Severus_ would think. If I was Harry, I would run as fast as I could in the opposite direction if Severus caught sight of the book.

"I thought you'd be more enthusiastic," said Harry, glancing up from the book. "The book has so many ideas for us – and I haven't even read it all yet."

"Well, I think we should stick to innovations that have been properly published," I said. "That way we have a proper reference for our sources."

Harry considered this for a moment. "True," he acknowledged. "Yes, you're right. You know, you sound just like Hermione."

I merely smiled.

"But we're also supposed to design a whole new concept," Harry continued. "Create a whole new spell." He gestured down at the book. "Why not extend upon the Bubble Shield?"

"Because that wouldn't be creating a whole new spell," I pointed out.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Armilla, I'm sure my dad wouldn't care if we took credit for it, seeing as it hasn't been published."

But Severus _would_. I was going to have to tell Severus about it. I couldn't see another way around it all. He would kill me if I ignored this; besides, he would find out anyway; Slughorn would no doubt tell my brother about our project and Severus was very interested in it already. I wasn't about to start a series of lies about it. But how to put Harry off the idea? What a headache.

"Armilla?" Harry was looking expectantly at me. "I asked you what you thought."

I sighed. "Let me think about it. You know, I'm sure I could be persuasive enough to get Severus to give us some ideas."

Harry frowned. "I thought you said that he wasn't likely to offer a lot of help."

That was _before_ the book got involved. Perhaps Severus would be far more willing to help if he could get the book out of the picture.

"You never know," I said vaguely, staring at the battered book in Harry's hands. "Stranger things have happened."

o o o o o o o o o o

The walk down to the dungeons wasn't the most pleasant I'd had; not that it was pleasant walking in the dungeons most of the time; there were always the awkward moments when I came across Slytherins and we had to give each other awkward nods of acknowledgement.

My journey to our quarters this time was not unpleasant due to seeing the likes of Malfoy and his cronies; it was more the feeling of dread in telling Severus about the book. As I moved through the draughty corridors my mind kept rehearsing ways of breaking the news to Severus that Harry had gotten his hands on one of his old books.

_By the way, Severus, I saw Harry earlier and he's got this book with your handwriting in it. It was pretty clear that you and Harry's mum were best buds. Don't worry, Harry thinks it's his own dad's handwriting._

No, that wouldn't do. Try again.

_I think you should teach Harry the Bubble Shield, Severus. He has your old book with it in there anyway, so he'll probably try it out himself sooner or later. Did you like Harry's mum?_

No, that _definitely _wouldn't do.

My inner ramblings were suddenly cut short by something quite unwelcome.

"Ah!" Oh Merlin, not again.

"Armilla!" said the Merle-ghost pleasantly. "There you are!"

_Keep moving_, I told myself. It wasn't really Merle. It wasn't even a proper ghost. I couldn't linger there. Severus and Dumbledore had told me to report to either of them as soon as the Merle impostor appeared again.

I walked fast, knowing perfectly well that the ghost, for want of a better word, would follow.

"In a hurry, are we?"

I ignored her. I was right near the portrait that concealed our rooms.

"Shar's coming over for dinner this evening," Merle said conversationally. "Make sure you're polite. You know how lonely the poor man is."

It felt like a hand had reached in and grasped at my heart. _Shar_. I concentrated on activating the portrait, squashing the anger I felt at hearing the name. Merle had never seen the man for the monster he was.

I pushed open the door and hastily moved over the threshold before slamming the door shut behind me. I leaned against it, feeling like I had been winded.

Severus emerged from his bedroom, a frown on his face. "What's the matter?" he asked, when he caught sight of me. "Is there any need to slam the door?"

"Sorry," I murmured, pushing off the door and walking towards the sofa. "I was trying to keep Merle out…not that she's come in…she didn't last time."

"She appeared again?" Severus said quickly. "When? Just now?"

I nodded, sitting down. "Only a minute ago, just a corridor away."

Severus sat down next to me. "Did you say anything to her?"

I shook my head. "No."

He raised an eyebrow.

I stared back at him. "What?"

"You know perfectly well _what_," he said, looking irritated. "Are you going to willingly offer information as to what happened or shall I remain probing for answers?"

"Oh." I suddenly felt stupid. What was wrong with me?

Severus was looking at me strangely. "Well?"

"She just appeared," I said hastily. "She said my name and said there you are, just like she did before. I started walking faster and she followed, asking if I was in a hurry." I stopped, feeling the anger starting to boil inside me as I remembered what had happened next. "She told me that Shar was coming for dinner."

"How delightful," Severus drawled. "Is that all she said?"

"That's all she had the opportunity to say," I said resentfully. "That's when I came inside."

Severus nodded. "Well then," he said, "am I to assume that you slammed the door on account of Shar rather than over Merle herself?"

I nodded, my hands clenching into fists at the mere thought of Shar.

"Did you see anyone or anything strange on your way down here?"

I shook my head. "I didn't see anyone in the dungeons at all."

"And before that?" Severus was watching me closely.

I frowned. "Well, I passed students in the Entrance Hall and in the corridors near the library, but I didn't really pay attention to who they were."

He nodded, though he didn't look satisfied. "It is no doubt pointless," he said, looking grimly at me, "seeing as it didn't work last time, but I'd like to use Legilimency on your mind to see if I can view Merle."

I nodded my consent and braced myself.

Severus wasted no time. "_Legilimens_!"

I immediately felt his presence in my mind, and a few insignificant memories floated past.

I felt the familiar push in my mind as Severus found the memory; like last time, he clearly couldn't access it.

"Darkness again," Severus said, looking frustrated as he cancelled the spell. "It's very clear that whoever is behind this has no wish for anyone else to see Merle." He began casting the same diagnostic spells as last time, an optimistic attempt to find any trace of dark magic within me.

"I don't see the purpose of her appearances though," I said quietly when he'd finished. "She doesn't seem to cause harm…well harm that I'm aware of."

"Exactly." He got up abruptly. "That is what concerns me." He began to pace. "I cannot determine what effect this is having on you."

"You're sure it is having an effect?" I honestly felt no different. Was I supposed to feel different?

"I am only certain that these appearances must have some purpose." He continued to pace, not meeting my eye.

I watch him move back and forth, a dull ache beginning to grow inside me. It worried me to see him looking so concerned; that meant I had cause to be anxious.

"I will go and inform the Headmaster of the appearance," Severus said finally after several moments of silence. "We'll continue practising the bubble hex when I get back."

I nodded and watched as he swept from the room. I had a niggling feeling that I had something to tell him…whatever it was had completely escaped my mind.

o o o o o o o o o o o

I decided to stay the night in the dungeons that evening. Severus and I had duelled for much for the afternoon and he had been satisfied that my mental shield had managed to block his speciality bubble hexes. I, on the other hand, was impatient to go even further with it; I didn't just want to block the hex, I wanted to be able to fire back with strength at the same time. It seemed I was a long way from that happening.

I supposed I had been preoccupied since coming down to the dungeons. I couldn't get Merle out of my mind. The real Merle's face as well as the fake one kept flashing in my mind. I kept hearing her voice over and over in my head.

_There you are, Armilla._

_There you are, Armilla._

I was starting to wonder if I was hearing the voice because my mind chose to or if it was bring put there against my will. I couldn't quite tell; it wasn't like I _hated_ seeing Merle's face in my mind.

I voiced my concern to Severus that evening when he came in to say goodnight; he had been quiet for much of the evening, probably brooding on the nature of the fake Merle's appearances.

"And you cannot tell whether you're focusing on the memory or if it's being put there?" he said when I'd finished.

"I like seeing Merle," I admitted. "I probably focus on it more than I should."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "It's a curse though, Armilla. You shouldn't like seeing it."

"Not in that way," I said hastily. "I know she's not appearing for good reason. It's hard to explain…I suppose seeing a face that's supposed to be hers and hearing a voice that's supposed to be hers strengthens my memories of her…and I like it."

Severus said nothing for a moment. He stared at the rug on the floor for a minute before he turned back to me. "You're old enough to have sufficient memories of Merle. They couldn't possibly be dwindling."

I shook my head. "No, not really." I met his gaze. "But wouldn't you enjoy hearing a voice that you never thought you'd hear again?"

His face hardened and he immediately looked away. He was silent again for a moment. "The point," he said finally, "is that you're being tricked into thinking you like hearing a voice that isn't real…seeing a face that isn't real-"

"I'm not being tricked," I interrupted. "I know it's not real-"

"But you enjoy it," Severus said harshly, looking annoyed that I had interrupted him. "You're enjoying something that isn't real."

"I'm_ not_ enjoying it," I said heatedly. "If I enjoyed it then wouldn't I have spent longer with her today? I didn't even speak to her today. _That's_ not enjoying it."

"You just said you like seeing her," he said, frowning at me. "How can you like seeing her but not enjoy it? It doesn't make sense."

"I like viewing the memory in my mind," I said slowly. "I know it doesn't make sense. I don't enjoy running into her and I'd rather it all stopped…but it sort of renews the sound of her voice in my memory…I can't help liking that."

Severus sighed; his expression told me that he didn't think I was being entirely rational about it. "Have you been thinking about Merle a lot this afternoon?" he asked.

"Not the whole time," I said honestly. "Only when I wasn't focused on something else…it kept coming back to me."

Something flickered in his eyes. "Unless that's the point," he murmured, more to himself than to me.

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps your mind is bringing the memory to the forefront of your mind," he said, looking back at me. "Perhaps the idea is that you're meant to constantly focus on it."

I stared at him. "But what point would that have?"

"That remains to be seen," he answered, looking frustrated once more. "Unless you are subconsciously focusing on the memory and it has nothing to do with the curse." He sighed. "One of the downfalls of having no evidence and relying purely on conjecture."

o o o o o o o o o o o

"Make sure you sit with your research partners!" Slughorn's voice boomed as we made our way into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom on Monday. "We're not working on the assignments in class today but I want you to become familiar with your partner's learning strategies and habits."

Lisa groaned as she went over to Ron Weasley. Ron didn't seem to notice; his eyes, for a reason entirely incomprehensible to me, seemed to be transfixed by Lavender Brown.

"Hi," said Harry cheerfully, as I sat down next to him.

"Hel-" Oh no. The memory of Harry's current prized possession suddenly came hurtling back to me. I had completely forgotten to tell Severus about the book!

"What's wrong?" Harry looked around, wondering what had distracted me.

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head. "I thought I'd forgotten a book, that's all."

"Oh."

How could I have forgotten to tell Severus? It wasn't the sort of thing you'd easily forget to do. I'd worried about it in the library and on the way to the dungeons – until Merle had appeared. Well, I reasoned with myself, Merle had provided a distraction…but even, so I should have remembered something like this.

"Have you thought any more about it?" Harry asked, giving me a knowing look.

"Um, yeah…" I said uncomfortably. _Ha!_ Not a second's thought actually. I still couldn't believe I hadn't told Severus about it.

"Well?" he said expectantly.

"A very good day to you all," Slughorn said merrily, his voice ringing out across the classroom.

I was very thankful that I'd suddenly been saved from answering. I carefully avoided Harry's eye and focused on the purple-coated walrus-like man at the front of the room.

"I trust you've all found the time to have a first meeting as a pair and discuss ideas and research possibilities?" Slughorn asked.

There was a general murmur of consent.

"Good, good. Excellent," he said, nodding as he rocked back and forth on his feet. "I expect a meeting log to be kept so I can track how much research is being carried out. I don't want this assignment to be taken lightly."

Certainly not, I thought grimly. How could I take this lightly when Harry had such a book in his possession?

It turned out to be a rather tedious lesson. Slughorn had written a series of scenarios on the board and had then allocated one to each pair to discuss and solve. I had ideas of how to solve ours, but I had to avoid ones that involved magic that Severus had exclusively taught me.

"I have plenty of ideas for all of those," Harry remarked, his eyes scanning the list. Each problem required some sort of defensive magic to be used.

"Yes, but for now you have to keep those ideas private," I said quietly.

He rolled his eyes, but happily discussed other ways to solve our scenario. Neither of us heard Slughorn move our way until he was right in front of us.

"What a team!" he said merrily. He leaned forward and spoke quietly, a mischievous glint in his eye, "reminds me of when I used to partner Severus with Lily for projects like these."

Harry looked incredulously at him. "Really?"

Slughorn chuckled. "Oh yes, Harry. Your father never liked that. It took him a long time to win your mother's affections."

Harry laughed. "Imagine that," he whispered to me as Slughorn waddled away to Lisa and Ron, "Snape and my mum having to work together. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin? I bet they both hated that. The ultimate torture."

I forced a smile. "Undoubtedly."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

I generally didn't go down to the dungeons on a Monday night, but tonight I had to make sure I went. I couldn't hold off telling Severus about the book.

My guilt about not telling him sooner didn't make me walk any faster. Rather, I walked as slowly as I could to the dungeons, still trying to come up with ways to approach the subject with Severus. I didn't want Harry to be in trouble. I knew the book meant a great deal to him; he'd be heartbroken if he found out that the scribblers in the book were in fact Severus and Lily, not James and Lily.

I passed many Slytherins in the dungeon corridors, some making their way back to their common room, others holding books, probably headed for the library. I had the _fantastic _fortune to nearly bump into Draco Malfoy as I rounded a corner. Pansy Parkinson was hanging off his arm and I had to bite down on my lip in an attempt not to laugh at the scene. I had long since decided that they were made for each other; two misguided fools with mutual infatuation. The only real difference was that Malfoy did have a brain; he just used his intelligence the wrong way. I wondered if Pansy knew much about Malfoy's place in the Dark Lord's circle.

"Armilla," Malfoy said, nodding at me, a small smile on his face.

"Draco," I said evenly, nodding back.

"On your way to see your _brother_?" He used the word as if he had just tasted something nasty.

"Obviously."

He sneered. "Of course. You wouldn't hang around in the dungeons otherwise. You were never real Slytherin material."

"I never had reason to be." Merlin, the boy was a dolt.

He let out a dry laugh. "Oh, yes, I had forgotten you Ravenclaws hold yourselves up higher than your common room tower."

I smiled. "Witty. Well done. Don't let me keep you, Draco. I'm sure you and Pansy have places to be."

I moved around them and was glad that they kept walking too. At least bumping into them distracted my mind from Harry's book. Malfoy had confused me. We had reached a level where we would tolerate each other, fake politeness and move on. Now it seemed a different approach: fake politeness and then insult. What did he have against Severus? Malfoy had always seemed to like my brother. Until this year it seemed. Ever since Narcissa Malfoy had visited with him that day last summer, Malfoy had been less than pleasant to Severus. It had to have something to do with You-Know-Who.

Moments later I was in our sitting room, preparing myself for the inevitable task of telling Severus about the book. The lights in the sitting room were dimmed and a brighter light was coming from the lab. I smiled, hoping this was a good sign. Severus was generally in better spirits when he was brewing potions. I was glad that I hadn't happened upon him whilst marking Hufflepuff or Gryffindor essays.

Sure enough, I found him bottling the last of a series of potions bottles, all neatly lined up on the wooden work bench in the middle of the room.

He looked up when he saw me in the doorway. "Good evening," he said, putting the stopper in the bottle before setting it down on the bench. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Can't I come down for no reason?" I asked, approaching the bench to help pack away the ingredients.

He gave me a look. "Certainly," he said, banishing the last drops of the potion in the cauldron with his wand. "But you've come down to talk about something."

I frowned. "How do you know that?" Was I that transparent?

He gave me a small smile. "You looked rather hesitant when I looked up. Have you seen the fake Merle again?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Thank goodness," he said dryly. "Clearly, you have something to discuss."

"Two things actually," I replied, using my wand to direct ingredients back to the cupboard.

He nodded. "We'll go out and talk when this is cleaned up. Are they urgent problems?"

I considered him for a moment. "Well, I suppose that's subjective," I said finally. "It depends what you think about it."

Severus paused with a few bottles in his hands, looking curiously back at me. "Well, this sounds enthralling."

I didn't answer; I finished packing away the rest of the ingredients and then we went out to sit on the sofa in the sitting room.

"Well then?" Severus asked, looking expectantly at me.

"I ran into Malfoy on my way down here," I began. I wanted to get my curiosity about Malfoy out of my mind first before I brought up the book. "He was with Pansy. He asked me if I was coming to see you and he gave me the impression that he has a less than favourable impression of you."

Severus nodded, completely unaffected. "That's no surprise, Armilla. You must have noticed the change in Draco's attitude during our Potions lessons so far this year?"

"Yes," I said, also nodding. "But he's gone back to being rather rude again. I thought we were just tolerating each other."

Severus inclined his head. "Draco has different priorities in his life now. Last year his main goal was to appease his father and _win you over_, so to speak. This year, Draco has far more demanding and stressful things on his mind. I do not know all the particulars because he does not wish to confide in me. What I know mainly comes from Narcissa's information."

"Demanding things?" I repeated, hoping for more information.

"Yes," he said shortly. "Demanding things that he is being subjected to through his family's own doing. Draco doesn't only serve his parents now, Armilla, as you well know." He sighed. "It is best for you to avoid him at all costs. Draco has become exceptionally wary of me and so he is likely to treat you with less decorum."

I nodded and then paused, realising it was time to bring up the book.

"Armilla?" Severus raised an eyebrow. "What was the other thing you wanted to discuss?"

I opened my mouth and then closed it again. Severus simply stared at me.

"I'm not-" I broke off, unsure that I was starting off the right way.

Severus leaned back into the sofa, suddenly frowning. "You look guilty, Armilla. Have you done something you shouldn't have?"

I shook my head. "No, I haven't done anything." _Except forget to tell you_, my mind reminded me.

"Well?"

_Go for it_. "I met Harry in the library yesterday to work on our research project." Severus' face immediately hardened at the mention of Harry's name.

"We were talking about what sort of concept we could use," I continued, "when Harry decided to tell me about a book he's got that could be useful." I paused, thinking about what to say next. Severus was looking at me with a hard expression; clearly he knew that something about Harry that he would not like was coming up.

"Harry had found the book at Grimmauld Place and it's become really important to him."

"It had better not be one of Black's old family heirlooms, completely full of dark magic," Severus said, looking less than pleased. "Lupin assured me that he had cleared the library of unsuitable material."

"It's just an old Defence Against the Dark Arts book," I said quickly. "I don't think there's anything that's really dark in there. That's not why Harry likes it so much."

Severus sneered. "What is it then? Does it have Black's name inside the cover? Is Potter being sentimental over it?"

I nodded. "He is, but it's not Sirius Black's name inside the cover. It says _Christian Potter_ on the inside, but that's been crossed out. _Lucia_ is written underneath that."

I met his eye, waiting for realisation to dawn upon him. It came very quickly. His face darkened. "Potter," he said slowly, "has our Great Aunt Lucia's Defence Against the Dark Arts book?"

"Was it Christian Potter's first?" I asked.

"I believe Lucia claimed it from him." Severus had a murderous expression on his face. He remembered then, what was also in that book.

"There's handwriting in the book that's different to the writing inside the cover," I went on.

"I'm aware of that," he snapped, looking away, his hands gripping the sofa. He suddenly looked back at me. "You've read it all then?"

I shook my head, feeling queasy. I knew he would react like this, but it didn't make it any easier. "Only what Harry's shown me. I think he's read it all. He's rather proud of the book."

Severus turned back to me. "_Proud_ of it?" he said in disbelief, his lip curling.

"He knows that one person in the book is his mum," I said quietly. "Seeing as Christian Potter's name is inside the cover he believes that the other person is his dad."

If Severus had looked angry before, now he looked completely enraged. "He thinks the other person is his father? Of _course_ he would, that little-"

"Severus, why would he think it's anyone else?" I pointed out. "It makes perfect sense that Harry would think it was his father. Why would he think it was you?"

Severus got up, his face flushed. He was clearly too irate to sit. I was very glad Harry wasn't close by.

"And you knew when you saw it?" he said quietly, his dark eyes glittering dangerously.

I nodded. "I had thought-" I stopped. "Yes, I knew."

Severus turned away and took up his usual habit of pacing. "Known for a long time, have you?"

"No," I said honestly, "…only suspected."

I watched Severus pace back and forth. He seemed against the idea of making eye contact with me.

"There's just a problem I don't know what to do about," I said finally.

"Of course there's a problem!" Severus snapped. "If I'd known Potter had gotten his hands on that book-"

"Not_ that_ problem, there's another one," I interrupted, feeling annoyed. "Harry admires the things you've written in that book; spells that you experimented with. He particularly likes the Bubble Shield."

Severus' eyes flashed as he finally looked back at me. "Oh, I bet he's already tried it out," he said scornfully.

"He likes it so much he wants to use it as our new concept for our research assignment."

I waited for an explosion, either verbal or magical. I didn't have to wait long.

"_Use_ it?" he repeated, his face nothing short of rage. "Use_ my_ invention and put _his_ name with it?"

"He wants to develop it," I said quietly. "He doesn't know that you would be offended by it. He thinks it was his father's idea, remember?"

Severus opened his mouth to retort, but I kept talking.

"As far as Harry knows, he has a book of unpublished magical experiments by people he believes to be his parents. He thinks his dad would be proud if he goes ahead and uses it for the project."

"Such arrogance," he growled, looking away. "That book is not his property."

"He found it in a house that belongs to him," I reminded him. "I assume he would think he owns that too. The problem is that I don't know what to tell Harry. He's keen to get started and wants to use the Bubble Shied. He can't understand why I told him I'd only think about it."

Severus glowered at me. "You told him you would _think _about it?"

"Well, it wouldn't have been rational to just say no without reason," I snapped. "I couldn't tell him the real reason why, could I?"

"Don't you dare snap at me-" he said sharply, looking furious.

"It's not _my_ fault," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "Imagine if I had told him that it's really _you_ in that book and not his father. Would you have preferred that?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he sneered.

"Then what could I have done to make the best out of a bad situation so you would at least know that I tried?"

Severus stopped abruptly and looked back at me. "I-"

I stared back at him blankly. "I ran out of plausible courses of action very quickly," I said quietly.

He continued to stare at me, considering what I'd said. Finally he sat down heavily beside me. "I don't know," he said, his face most ill-tempered. "I don't know what you could have done. All I _do_ know is that I want that book out of Potter's possession."

"Well, I'm sorry I wasn't able to achieve that one for you."

My words were met with silence. I understood that he was annoyed about the whole thing; I would have been too, but it was unfair to take it out on me just because I was the only one there.

Severus suddenly got up again. He headed towards the door. "I'm going to see Dumbledore," he said shortly.

"But Harry's meeting with him tonight."

I was sure that he was about to curse in frustration. "I'll go later this evening then."

He headed towards his lab.

I got up too and headed for the door. I had no inclination to stay. "Goodnight, then."

"Where are you going?" he demanded, turning around in the corridor.

"Back to my common room," I said indifferently. "I have things to do."

He nodded curtly. "Goodnight." He turned and disappeared into his lab.

I didn't stay a moment longer. As I closed the door behind me I let out a sigh of relief. I didn't know why; I wasn't really relieved at all. "That went well," I muttered.

I didn't end up spending much time in the common room after all. It was more crowded that night than usual and I wanted space. I tried working in my dorm, but Padma Patil and Ruby Parkes were up there, chatting away. In the end I told Lisa and Terry that I had some research to do in the library, picked up my bag and left. I needed time to sort my thoughts out.

I was annoyed with Severus. He hadn't seemed to realise that there wasn't much I could have done about the situation. Honestly, what did he expect of me?

He didn't know either, I remembered. He had been at a loss too. That must have added to his frustration, I thought grimly. Not to mention the fact that I had admitted to having suspected that he had held affection for Lily Potter. Severus had always been very private about it and I had rarely brought the subject up on account of avoiding aggravating him.

I stayed much longer in the library than I intended. It was more difficult to look for the right Transfiguration books I needed for my essay when my mind was so preoccupied. I finally left when I realised that I'd be pushing the curfew time if I stayed much longer.

There were fewer students about as I made my way back towards the tower, my mind still on Severus, Lily and Harry. I turned into the deserted corridor that led to the tower. It didn't matter how this was going to be sorted out, I thought; one person at least was going to be very angry.

"Lost in thought, are we?"

I stopped suddenly. _ Brilliant._ I had come face to face once more with the fake Merle.

She gave me a big smile, the one she always wore when she knew something I didn't. It generally turned out that she had a surprise for me.

Taking a deep breath, I side stepped her ghostly form and kept walking.

"It's polite to answer me when I speak to you, Armilla," the ghost rebuked. "Dear me, child, where are your manners?"

I kept walking, trying not to look at her. I couldn't help it; as much as I didn't want to see her, it was so lovely to hear her voice. I was nearly at the entrance to the common room when I realised that I was supposed to report to Severus or Dumbledore right away if I saw Merle.

I quickly turned around and headed for the Headmaster's office, figuring that Severus must have gone up there by now. Merle trailed after me the whole time, chatting away and occasionally having a go at me for not answering her. She kept asking me what was wrong.

"Why don't you want to talk to me, Armilla?" Merle's voice sounded dejected and it hurt to hear it that way.

_It's not really Merle, you idiot._

"I've come to talk to you and you don't want to spend time with me."

_Keep walking. Look straight ahead._

"Don't you care for me any longer?" Her voice was full of hurt.

This wasn't fair. If it was really Father behind all this I wouldn't think twice right now about using the strongest curse I knew on him.

"I thought you loved me. I suppose I was mistaken."

I turned around abruptly and stared at her ghostly face. She had tears in her eyes and she was biting her lip. I opened my mouth to say something, but then changed my mind. Seeing Severus was more important at the moment.

As I got nearer to the gargoyles, I nearly stamped my foot in frustration when I realised that I didn't have the password to get in. I considered using my chocolate frog card to contact Severus, but it could be awhile before he checked it. I had been able to contact him straightaway with it once before in an emergency, but I couldn't be sure this time. As it was, I didn't want to have my chocolate frog card out near Merle.

I reached the gargoyles and stood there for a moment, trying hard to ignore Merle's sighs of self-pity. It was getting harder and harder to pretend that she simply wasn't there.

I heard a movement and then thanked my lucky stars that someone seemed to be on my side today. The entrance to Dumbledore's office was opening. I nearly jumped when Harry stepped out, looking a little red in the face. I quickly looked around, only to find that Merle had vanished once again.

"Oh, hi, Armilla," he said when he saw me. "Your brother's up there. He just threw me out for some reason, actually."

"Oh…really?" I said, trying to look surprised. "I was looking for him. I better go up before the entrance closes."

Harry gave a dry laugh as he stepped away. "Good luck, he seems to be in a foul mood."

I turned and gave him a smile of thanks. Foul mood was an understatement. I stepped onto the revolving staircase and tried to steady my pounding heart. I wasn't sure if it was pounding from seeing Merle, running into Harry or the thought of seeing an irate Severus once more. I knew the tears I was blinking back were from Merle.

I stepped off the staircase and knocked on the door. A moment later the door was violently swung open.

"Potter, I told you to-" Severus stopped abruptly when he saw me. His face still had the angry flush he'd had earlier.

"Good evening, Armilla," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "Always lovely to see you." He was standing in front of his desk. He gestured for me to come in as he went around it and sat down. "Do come in. Your brother has just stopped by for a friendly chat."

Severus glared at the Headmaster before closing the door and turning to me.

"I only came up to tell you that I saw Merle again," I said quickly. "That's all. I can go if you like."

"Ah, two visits from Merle in two days," said Dumbledore, before Severus could answer. "This must be very frustrating for you."

I nodded. "It's all right." I turned back to Severus. "I'll go. I just wanted to let you know."

Severus grasped my wrist as I went to open the door. "No," he said. "I would like to know what happened and I am sure the Headmaster would like to as well."

"Certainly," said Dumbledore, gesturing to the seats in front of his desk.

Severus let go and we moved to sit in front of the Headmaster. When they both looked at me, I told them everything that had happened since leaving the library. It was difficult, but I managed to keep my voice from wavering for the most part, especially when Severus asked to know what Merle had said this time. I didn't know why I felt so horrible over a ghost that wasn't real anyway.

"I have tried everything I can think of, Headmaster," Severus said when I had finished. "All we know is that this fake Merle only appears when Armilla is alone."

Dumbledore nodded, lost in thought. I looked away when he interlaced his fingers on his desk; his blackened hand looked worse than ever.

"I suppose we could try and avoid Armilla being alone anywhere in the castle," he said thoughtfully, "but that would only be a short term fix to the problem and would not aid us in solving it."

"But we cannot be sure what effects these appearances are having on Armilla," Severus said, his face now anxious instead of angry.

"No," Dumbledore agreed. "But I do think part of the effect is to have an emotional impact. No one wants to see a deceased love one and have him or her say the things this fake Merle just said to Armilla."

Severus looked over at me wearing an expression I couldn't read. I broke eye contact with him and stared at Dumbledore's desk instead, willing the tears to stay back. I felt like an idiot. It was not right to be upset over the words spoken by an impostor.

"You're a very strong young lady for not replying to the ghost," Dumbledore said kindly. "Many others would not have been able to do so."

I couldn't bring myself to smile. I _wasn't_ strong at all. If Dumbledore had known how close I'd been to speaking to Merle than he wouldn't have said it.

"Where to from here?" Dumbledore went on. "Shall we continue to monitor the visits or would it be best to make sure Armilla is accompanied at all times?" He met Severus' eye. "You're the guardian, Severus."

Severus considered him for a moment. "Either way has its advantages and disadvantages. I am inclined to make arrangements so that Armilla will not suffer seeing this ghost again, but as you say, this would not be a long term solution. Perhaps we should let it go for a little while longer and keep a record of time and places as we have been doing. This way we can attempt to look for patterns and narrow it down." He turned to me. "What is your opinion?"

I was surprised. I hadn't expected to be asked what I thought. I felt guilty because I had just been sitting there thinking that my opinion didn't matter anyway. Maybe my feelings had been showing on my face.

"I agree," I said finally, having considered it for a moment. I didn't want to be accompanied everywhere. "It doesn't seem to be having much of an effect at the moment. I'd rather keep seeing her if it means it might bring us closer to solving it."

Dumbledore nodded. "Well then," he said, looking satisfied, "we'll carry on as before." He met my eye. "Of course, you will confide in Severus if seeing Merle becomes too much?"

I nodded, glancing at my brother, who seemed lost in thought. "Of course."

"Severus," said Dumbledore, turning back to my brother. "I believe we must continue this most perplexing conversation you came in to have."

I made a move to leave, not wanting to stay for this.

"Stay there, Armilla," said Severus irritably. "It's past curfew and I don't want you wondering the halls. I would rather you not see Merle again tonight."

I sat back down, feeling uncomfortable. This was one of the last places I wanted to be right now.

"You were saying, Severus," said Dumbledore, looking from me back to my brother in mild surprise, "that you want this book taken out of Harry's possession."

"Yes," he replied curtly. "At the very least."

"With what explanation?"

Severus glared at him. "Explanation? He doesn't need an explanation! He has no right to that book."

"As a matter of fact, Severus, he _does_."

Severus narrowed his eyes in reply.

"According to what Armilla told you," the Headmaster went on, "Harry found the book at Grimmauld Place. It has the names of his relatives in that book – who are, incidentally your relatives too. Harry believes the two teenagers in the book to be his parents. Should he be corrected, Severus?"

"All I want is for that book to be taken away from him, Headmaster!" Severus said heatedly. "The boy doesn't need to be told anything!"

"I cannot take the book from Harry without offering a valid reason, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly. "It wouldn't be fair. It's understandable if Harry has grown attached to that book."

"Attached to something that is misleading him!" my brother spat. "The boy wants to use magic that I developed. I didn't publish it for good reason! I want to keep that advantage. Can't I take it from him and obliviate him?"

"Severus!" Dumbledore said sharply. "You would do no such thing."

Severus sighed heavily and sat down. I just wished I could leave. Why did I have to sit through this?

"Do you want to see this book destroyed, Severus?" Dumbledore said quietly, his blue eyes fixed firmly on my brother's eyes.

I couldn't read Severus' expression. He stared back at the headmaster and for a moment I didn't think he was going to answer.

"No," he finally said, his voice just above a whisper. "No."

"Then there are two ways to go about this, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly, leaning forward as he interlocked his fingers on his desk. "You can tell Harry the truth about the young teenagers in this book and explain that because you developed the magic within it, it is your right to demand that it remain exclusively yours."

Severus stared stonily back at the headmaster.

"Or," Dumbledore went on, "you don't tell Harry and instead let him labour under the delusion that the young man in this book who created some marvellous magic, is James Potter. This would effectively give him the right to explore the magic."

Severus got up with a violent jerk and began to pace. "_Never_," he said through clenched teeth. "I will _not_ tolerate James Potter being credited with _my_ magic, _my _hard work, _my_…" he broke off, looking incensed.

Dumbledore stared back at him. When he spoke, his voice held a hint of sadness. "Then tell Harry, Severus," he said quietly. "He does not need the details if you do not wish to give them." Dumbledore stood up and came around the desk so that he would be in the way of his pacing Potions Master.

Severus stopped abruptly and glared back at Dumbledore. "I shall _not_," he said.

I couldn't help thinking that with the stubborn look on my brother's face and the obstinate tone he sounded rather like a small child.

"I could simply hold onto this book," Dumbledore said simply, "but I daresay that will be a short term solution to the problem."

Severus opened his mouth, presumably to argue, but the headmaster interrupted.

"As you know Severus, life does not always serve us in the way we'd like. That said, I won't be here forever." He paused to let his words sink in. "I wouldn't want to let this book be hidden away forever while it means much to people who are living."

Severus continued to glare at him. "Tell him?" he said disdainfully. "Tell him that the person he is idolising in that book is really me? You do realise that after such a revelation Potter may go completely mad with denial. He's already completely mixed up in the head. I had the happy task of trying to sort that out during the summer."

Dumbledore frowned at him. "I do not see another way out of this, but I will tell you this. If you tell Harry about it, you may claim the book as yours, seeing as it's your old Defence Against the Dark Arts book. It may be good for Harry to know that you were friends with his mother. It may help him place more trust in you."

"Yes, well that has been my most fervent wish since I first had the pleasure of meeting Potter," Severus sneered.

Dumbledore took another tactic. "What if Harry shows the book to Remus Lupin? He would know straightaway that it wasn't James Potter's writing. Remus knew you were friends with Lily, but he has avoided telling Harry for your sake."

"How very touching."

"A decision needs to be made," said Dumbledore, beginning to lose patience, "and it needs to be made sooner rather than later."

Severus stared irritably back at him. "If I decide to tell Potter with, mind you, the absolute minimal amount of information, are you not worried that the Dark Lord will be able to view it in his mind? Potter is much better at Occlumency now but he is far from perfect."

Dumbledore didn't look worried in the slightest. "You know Tom knows of your affection for Lily, Severus."

I blinked. You-Know-Who _knew_ about it? How awful.

Dumbledore stood up. "Sleep on it, Severus. You cannot avoid the inevitable."

Severus stood up as well, looking far from pleased. "Apparently not," he muttered.

Dumbledore smiled sadly at him. "Good evening, Severus." He turned back to me as I got up. "Good evening, Armilla. I hope you'll have a least a few more days this time before you're bothered by the ghost again."

"Thank you," I said quietly. Severus nodded his goodnight to the Headmaster and then I followed him out.

We didn't talk on the way back down. When the gargoyles had concealed the entrance once more, we began to walk in silence. One glance at Severus assured me that he was likely to remain in a bad mood for awhile.

When we reached the end of a hall where we would go our separate ways, I bid him goodnight. I was keen to get back to the tower to go to bed. I was also keen to be out of Severus' company. I believed he needed time alone to think the situation through.

"Aren't you coming down to the dungeons?"

I turned back, surprised. "I don't normally sleep down there on a Monday night."

Severus frowned. "I don't want you walking alone to Ravenclaw Tower. Come, you can stay in the dungeons tonight."

I hesitated when he started walking. I really didn't want to stay in the dungeons. "Can't you walk me to Ravenclaw Tower instead?"

He turned around, pursing his lips like he was praying for patience. "I could, of course," he said calmly. "But I would like you to come down to the dungeons with me." He gave me a look that dared me to defy him.

I sighed, wanting to avoid him being crabby for another reason, and went with him down to the dungeons.

When we got inside, I immediately went to my bedroom without a backwards glance. I wanted to be out of his company. I didn't trust myself not to snap back at him like I had done before. I was tired and I couldn't get Merle off my mind. I kept hearing her hurt voice in my head and it kept reminding me of times in Merle's life when she _had_ been upset over various things.

I took a shower and stayed there longer than I meant to. I had meant to wash away the awful things on my mind and had ended up crying in the shower anyway whenever I heard Merle's voice in my head. So much for being strong about it. It didn't mater. Tomorrow was a new day. Tomorrow or whenever I ran into her next, I would do a better job of not letting her get to me. I was just tired tonight; that must have been why it was getting to me.

I got into bed and was just about to turn my light out when Severus came in. He looked much calmer than half an hour before, but I knew that he was merely suppressing the rage he still felt. I knew him too well.

He sat down on my bed, an uncomfortable look on his face. It was an expression I rarely saw him wear. He looked at me for a moment and then frowned. I wondered what he was frowning at and then I realised that my eyes were still red.

"I insisted you come down here tonight because I wanted to talk to you before you went to bed," he said quietly. "I repeated an action earlier that I swore to myself not long ago that I would never do again."

I looked questioningly at him.

"I took my anger out on you earlier." His voice was barely above a whisper. "You didn't deserve it and I do realise that you were put in a very difficult situation with the book. I apologise, Armilla."

I nodded, happy that he had realised. "I didn't know what to do," I whispered.

"I know," he replied. He shook his head slightly. "I know that feeling all too well."

We were silent, simply looking at each other for a moment.

"You've been crying," he stated.

I looked away, embarrassed.

"Merle?" he said simply.

I looked back at him. He was watching me closely. "It was a weak moment of idiocy," I said shortly. "I know she's not real and I know the voice I can hear isn't real." I paused, looking away again. "I just…can't help it, feeling this way, especially tonight when she spoke the way she did. See? Dumbledore's not always right. I'm not strong like he thinks I am."

"Don't be daft, Armilla," Severus said, shaking his head. "You're one of the strongest people I know. I do not understand why you place so much pressure upon yourself to be immune to feeling what any other person would feel in your situation."

"Because I shouldn't be affected by it!" I said, probably a little too loudly. Severus looked a little annoyed. "It's what whoever's doing it wants, isn't it? For me to be affected by it. I don't like allowing myself to feel something about it because it _isn't _real!"

"No, it isn't real," Severus said softly, "but you shouldn't think less of yourself for being upset by it. It may be difficult, but you can train yourself to expect her to speak to you in a way similar to tonight. Over time, you may find that you can tolerate it even better than you did tonight."

I shook my head. "I don't know; I keep hearing her voice in my head, and it's not always the voice of the fake Merle."

Severus shifted even closer to me on the bed. He reached out and took my hand. "We _will _solve this, Armilla. Perhaps every time you hear the fake Merle say something that makes you feel low, you should override it by recalling what her voice sounded like when she laughed."

I gave him a watery smile. That was a good idea. I'd have to try it out.

"Thank you," I whispered. I suddenly felt guilty. "I shouldn't even be talking to you about all this. You have your own big problem to deal with."

He shook his head. "You know I'd always prefer you to talk to me." He sighed. "As for my own problem, like the Headmaster said, I'll have to sleep on it. I am sure the idea of telling Potter will seem just as ludicrous in the morning, but if I am very lucky, I may be granted the gift of an epiphany during the night."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Yes, I'm still here! I am truly sorry to leave you all hanging for three months. I hope the high-tension, long chapter made up for it. I've been busy marking student assessments, writing student reports, clearing out my classroom so World Youth Day pilgrims could live in it, putting it back together again, travelling interstate, snowboarding (first time I'd properly seen snow!), conducting parent-teacher interviews, programming, watching the Olympics and welcoming a beautiful nephew into the world. This is the first time in ages I don't feel so bogged down. On the up side, I've still been getting my dose of Harry Potter because I make my class listen to the Stephen Fry version for twenty minutes every day – they think I'm weird when I quote Snape's lines along with him.

It was actually a little difficult to get back into the story this time and try and work out where I was up to. I was afraid of leaving out things I had planned months ago – thank goodness I had left planning notes. Anyway, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I will try my best not to go for months this time before you hear from me again!


	18. Discontent

**Chapter 18**

"I have decided to have an extra Occlumency session with Potter this evening," Severus informed me, putting down his _Daily Prophet_.  We had decided to have breakfast in our quarters that morning; it seemed Severus still needed thinking time for how to confiscate the book in Harry's possession.  "I will deal with the subject of the book at the conclusion of the lesson."

"Have you decided what to tell him?" I asked.  This whole mess had made me uneasy from the start.  I felt squeamish at the thought of Severus telling Harry that he had written in that book, along with Harry's mother.  If I felt uncomfortable about it; I could only imagine what Severus felt.

Severus didn't answer at first.  The frown that had been on his face since he'd come out for breakfast only deepened.  "I shall give the boy minimal information," he said shortly.  "He does not need any more than that."

"How are you going to stop him telling others about the book?"

"Potter and I…" Severus paused, considering his words, "…have an understanding of sorts.  I would not call our sessions amiable by any means, but he knows there are consequences for any actions that displease me.  The issue of this book…" he narrowed his eyes at the thought, "you may depend upon it, Armilla, Potter would not dream of disobeying."

We ate in silence for a few minutes.  My mind was caught up between worrying about the situation with Harry and worrying about running into the fake Merle again.  Seeing her was really unsettling; I sort of hated it and liked it at the same time…I couldn't work out how I really felt about it all.  I wanted her gone, simply for the fact that I knew she wasn't real and it was very likely that dark magic was causing it.  Part of me, the part that didn't want to admit it because of the sheer stupidity of it, would miss hearing her voice if she disappeared completely.  It seemed I hadn't occluded well enough the night before; I had had dream after dream with Merle, Shar, Father and even a stupid one where Father had announced that he was marrying my old governess, Rougier.

"I think you should be present this evening when I discuss the book with Potter, Armilla."

I looked up, startled by this odd request.  Severus was looking back at me, his expression completely neutral.

"Why?" I asked.

"I think it would be wise."

I continued to look at him, hoping he would get the hint that such an answer was not really fair.

He sighed.  "I think it would be easier for Potter to accept what I have to explain to him if you were there in the room too.  If you are there too, he might not feel so uncomfortable."  He reached for his coffee cup, breaking eye contact.  "_I_ might not feel so uncomfortable."

I stared at him, trying to disguise how I felt about what he had just said to me.  I was feeling, well, all Hufflepuff-ish, as Severus would put it.  "Okay," I said, following his lead and pretending that he wasn't awkward at all about this whole situation.

"Come to my office at nine o'clock tonight then," Severus said, sounding very business like all of a sudden.  "We should be finished by then."

"This is going to make this research project so much harder, you know," I said, reaching for my tea.  "Harry's going to be mad that I told you about the book."

"You used good judgement."

"I don't think Harry will recognise that."

Severus shook his head.  "Potter's opinion matters very little, Armilla.  However, he has no right to point any blame for this in your direction.  Whether Potter acknowledges it or not, you did the sensible thing."

It was one thing to have Severus put it that way, but I wasn't looking forward to Harry's reaction.  He had expressly asked me not to tell anyone about the book.  As badly as I felt about all this, I knew one thing was certain; I didn't regret telling Severus.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

I managed to get through the whole day without running into Merle once.  I'd had Double Potions that morning and had made sure to walk with Severus to the classroom.  From then on, I had constantly been in the company of at least one student, ensuring that Merle would stay away.

As Lisa, Terry and I sat down for dinner in the Great Hall that evening, the happy light-heartedness that I'd been feeling from a lack of ghostly Merles was replaced with a feeling of dread I could only connect to the prospect of seeing Severus and Harry later on that evening.  I looked over at the Gryffindor table to see a happy, laughing Harry.  He, Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnegan seemed awfully amused by something.  Ron Weasley, on the other hand, seemed completely distracted; his gaze was directed somewhere further up the table.  Hermione was at his side, scowling down at her soup.

Over at the Slytherin table I could see Pansy Parkinson sitting so close to Malfoy that if she got any closer she'd be practically in his lap.  He seemed to be enjoying the attention.  I watched as she broke off a piece of bread and fed it to him.  Urgh.  _Gross_.

"Guess what?"  Terry said cheerfully, reaching for some bread.  "I'm trying out for the Quidditch team."

"Really?"  I was surprised.  Terry loved flying; but he'd never shown a great deal of talent.  Perhaps he'd practised a great deal over the holidays.

"Yep.  I'm trying out to be a Chaser."

"I think you'd make an excellent chaser," Lisa told him.

"Of course I would," Terry laughed.  "Caught you, didn't I?"

I rolled my eyes.  Terry and Lisa had been going out for nearly a year now and the playfulness that I had thought would wear off after a couple of months was still going strong.

"Are you staying in Ravenclaw Tower tonight, Mill?" Lisa asked.

"No, well…I'm not sure yet," I answered.  I hadn't completely made my mind up on that one.  On one hand, I was already going to be in the dungeons after nine and there was a chance I'd miss my curfew anyway; on the other hand, Severus was likely to be in a bad mood in my opinion after speaking with Harry.

"I thought you were supposed to stay in the Tower last night," Terry said, putting two rather large lamb chops on his plate.

"I was.  There was a change of plan."  I was still very reluctant to discuss Merle with my friends.

Before they could answer, Stephen Cornfoot, who was seated next to Terry, let out a groan.  "Oh great, here come the lovebirds."

He nodded towards the entrance and we looked over to see Anthony Goldstein and Mandy Brocklehurst making their way into the hall, hand in hand.  Mandy was gripping Anthony's upper arm with her other hand and giggling about something.  Anthony was laughing too and he seemed to have a new walk…a smug one.

"Lovebirds?" said Terry, frowning, while Lisa was looking sideways at me.  "Did I miss something?"

Stephen rolled his eyes.  "Mandy asked Anthony out after lunch today.  He was rather pleased about the whole thing and they've been glued together all afternoon."

"Who has?" asked Ruby Parkes, sitting down on Stephen's other side.

Again, Stephen nodded in the direction of the pair, who were now sitting down, further down the table.  "Mandy and Anthony.  She asked him out."

"Mandy asked Anthony out?" Lisa repeated, staring at them, "I thought she liked Ernie MacMillan."

"Yeah, but he wasn't interested," said Michael Corner, who had just sat down on my other side.  "Mandy changed her focus a little too quickly, if you ask me."

We all nodded in agreement.  I tried not to stare down the table at Anthony and Mandy.  I didn't know why seeing the two together bothered me, but I felt angry inside.  I glanced down the table and watched as Anthony whispered something in Mandy's ear.  She let out a giggle and I saw a First Year nearby pretend to vomit.

I looked away, feeling uncomfortable.  Why was I feeling uncomfortable?  I didn't like Anthony like that.  Though she was in my year and House, I had never been overly friendly with Mandy either.  Really, I didn't really have a lot to do with them outside of lessons.  Why did I care?

I tried to focus on the conversation going on around me.  Terry was being encouraged by the people around us to try out for the Quidditch team.  Though I tried as hard as I could, I couldn't bring myself to join in.  I was frustrated that I should feel so affected by Anthony's decision to go out with Mandy.

I felt a hand close over mine.  I looked up and smiled at Lisa.  The boys around us were distracted by some joke over at the Hufflepuff table.

"They deserve each other," she whispered in my ear.

I gave her an uneasy smile back.

She leaned over to whisper again.  "Why worry about him?  The only wizard worthy of you is Merlin himself."

I let out a low laugh.  I appreciated Lisa's loyalty, but I had the feeling the point she was making wasn't why I felt angry.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

I knocked on the door of Severus' office at nine o'clock that night, as I had been instructed to.  The feeling of dread in my stomach was an excellent match for the maze of unwanted thoughts that was dominating my mind at the moment.

"Enter."

I opened the door slowly and entered.  Severus was across the room, leaning on his desk with his arms folded, while Harry was standing a few metres away from him, pocketing his wand.  He looked a little out of breath, but his eyes were shining with suppressed excitement.  Severus was right; Harry did seem to be enjoying these lessons now.  I understood the excitement; I had felt the same way when I had first started lessons with Severus.

"Hi," I said quietly.  Severus nodded while Harry gave me a grin whilst picking up his bag to leave.

"You have not been dismissed yet, Potter," Severus said smoothly, looking pointedly at Harry's schoolbag.

"Oh."  Harry looked from Severus to me, looking a little disconcerted.  "I assumed since Armilla was here-"

"Never assume, Potter," Severus cut in, "it can cause quite a quandary.  You're better off relying on facts."

_Yes, quandary indeed_, I thought dryly.  Look where Harry's assumption had gotten the three of us.

Harry just looked plain confused now.  Severus seemed to be lecturing on life lessons and from Harry's view, all he had done was pick up his schoolbag.

Severus gestured as the desks in front of him.  "Sit."

We both moved to sit down and while Harry placed his bag back on the floor, I caught a pained look on Severus' face.  I didn't know who I felt sorrier for – the man who was about to give away a secret very close to his heart, or the boy who was about to be told that the book his was obsessed with at the moment didn't document the courtship of his parents.

"Though I have my doubts that it is possible," Severus began, addressing himself to Harry, "it is important that you maintain an acceptable degree of maturity during this conversation."

Harry nodded, now looking utterly bewildered.

"As much as I am going to loathe discussing the subject with you, Potter," Severus continued, sounding like he was conducting a business meeting, "I am certain it will be no blessing for you to hear it either."

Harry frowned.  "What subject?"  He looked at me and I met his eye for a brief second before looking away.

"I've been very interested in this project you and Armilla are _researching_ together," Severus went on, as if Harry hadn't spoken at all.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Harry stiffen.

"Seeing as I did not embrace the notion of the two of you working together, I have been frequently asking Armilla about the progress of the project."

I felt Harry's eyes on me, but I continued to stare at Severus' boots.

"Would _you_ like to tell me about the progress of the project, Mr Potter?" Severus asked softly.

I had the grace this time to break my gaze from my brother's boots and look at Harry.  He was regarding me with a peculiar expression; it wasn't the look of anger or betrayal that I'd been expecting.  Instead it seemed…calculating.  Perhaps Harry had been spending too much time with Severus.  Harry had never struck me as the calculating sort.

"Mr Potter?" Severus repeated, a little louder this time.

Harry's attention snapped back to Severus.  "It's going okay," he said feebly.

"Okay?"  Severus raised an eyebrow.  "A satisfactory answer, if you please, Potter."

"Um…well we're looking at innovations in defensive magic and we're supposed to look at developing a new one-"

"I am aware of the nature of the project, Potter," Severus interrupted, looking irritated.  "What I am interested in is the _resources_."  Severus met Harry's eye before speaking very slowly, enunciating even more than usual.  "_One book in particular_."

Harry glared at me and folded his arms, looking at the floor.

"Before you begin pulling faces in directions where they're not warranted," Severus said dangerously, "you will listen to what I have to say."

Harry looked back at him irritably.

Severus sneered.  "Did I not tell you, Potter, that an appropriate degree of maturity would be required for this conversation?"

It seemed Harry was going to be too stubborn to reply, but finally a small "yes, sir," was heard.

Severus nodded curtly.  He gestured to Harry's bag.  "Withdraw the book."

Harry frowned.  "What makes you think-"

"I would prefer you not to lie about it, Potter," my brother said smoothly, "because that would mean detention.  If it's the sort of object that's currently useful and means something to you, you must be carrying it around."

Harry met Severus' eye.  "Wouldn't that be _assuming_, sir?"

I nearly hid my face in my hands.

Severus' face darkened.  "Detention, Potter."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but seemed to think better of it and closed his mouth.

Severus' fingers were tapping on his desk.  "Withdraw the book, or I shall go through that bag and get it myself."

Giving me another glare, Harry reached down and withdrew the battered blue book.  Severus held out his hand for it, an impassive look on his face.

"_No_," said Harry, holding the book to his chest, "you probably won't give it back to me."

To my surprise, Severus didn't argue.  He lowered his hand, but the expression on his face hardened.  "Tell me what you have learned from that book, Potter."

"It's an old defensive magic book," Harry said quietly, not releasing his grip.  I noticed that his knuckles had turned white; actually, Harry had become very pale.

"Ah, hence your worship," Severus drawled.  "Do not play games, Potter-"

"Well, why ask questions?" Harry interrupted, looking a little crazed.  "Clearly, Armilla has already told you about it-" he paused to glare at me, "I learned my lesson there.  _Thanks_."  He turned back to Severus.  "-so why ask me to tell you about it?"

"- Because you've arrived at_ false_ conclusions about that book," Severus said harshly, the tone of his voice making Harry shrink back in his seat a little.  I wasn't feeling so sympathetic after the way Harry had just spoken to me. 

There was silence in the room for a moment; it seemed no one was willing to speak.  Harry was staring resolutely at the floor, while Severus had his eyes fixed on the offending book clutched to Harry's chest.

I kept staring at Severus, willing him to look at me; I suddenly had the urge to start this off.  Severus wasn't the best person for this kind of job and though a significant part of the story was his to tell, I felt a need to play a part to; I just wasn't sure whether it was for Harry's sake or Severus'.

After a good thirty seconds of staring at my brother, he finally broke his gaze from the book and looked at me.  I wasn't sure what look to give that said _Want me to start off?_  It seemed I achieved it subconsciously as Severus gave me a tiny nod.

"I would have kept your secret," I said quietly to Harry, "but when I saw that book, I knew the secret wasn't yours."

Harry looked over at me.  "What do you mean?"

I shifted uncomfortably.  "I couldn't let you keep thinking that both people who wrote in it were your parents," I went on, staring at the book.  "I had to go to Severus…you wouldn't have believed me otherwise."

Harry frowned.  "Believe you about what?  What do you mean _both_ the people?"

"She means you've been labouring under delusion that the handwriting through that book belongs to both of your parents," Severus said quietly, "when, in fact, just one of them is your parent."

Harry stared at him.  If he had been pale before, he was positively white now.  "Who?"

Severus looked coldly at him.  "I assume you've read the book cover to cover, Potter.  Use your brilliant skills of deduction to work out which parent wrote in it."

I had to admit, it was a pretty stupid question, but I wasn't about to hold it against him; often when in shock, common sense flies out the window.

"My mum's name is in it," Harry said quietly.

I waited for an acidic reply from Severus to congratulate Harry on working it out, but none came.

"Did my dad have a relative at the school at the same time?" Harry asked quietly, looking at Severus.

He shook his head.  "No close relatives…no, though I suppose most of the pureblood families could claim to be related somehow…"

Harry stared at him.

"Just because the inside cover of the book has the name _Potter_ in it doesn't indicate that it was always used by a Potter."  Severus was regarding Harry with a shrewd look; I couldn't work out if Severus was hoping that Harry would figure it out first.

"I found the book at Grimmauld Place," said Harry thoughtfully, looking from Severus to me.  "The Blacks are a pureblood family; it makes sense to think that one of them might have used it."

Severus inclined his head.  "A valid possibility, Potter, but I know the answer is no." 

Harry's head whipped back to Severus.  "Why do _you_ know all about this?"

Severus shot him a deadly glare.

Harry faltered.  He seemed to struggle with himself for a moment.  "Sir?" he said finally.

Severus regarded him through narrowed eyes.  "Your family was linked to ours through marriage a couple of generations back, Potter.  As a result, that book made its way into our family."

Harry looked like he'd been slapped.  "So…am I, sort of…related to you two?"

"_Distantly_, Potter," Severus said curtly.

"So…Christian Potter…and Lucia…?" Harry's brain must have been working in overdrive.  "Those people in the cover of the book?"

"Lucia Merrigan was our great aunt-"

"Merrigans?" Harry interrupted.  "There's no Merrigans at this school."

Severus' lip curled.

Harry went slightly pink.

"As I was saying," Severus went on, eyeing Harry with contempt, "Lucia Merrigan was our great aunt.  She married Christian Potter.  The couple were your great grandparents, Potter."

I watched as Harry registered this new information.  "So…how did the book end up in your family...sir?"

"Lucia passed it down to her niece, my mother."  Severus waited until Harry made eye contact with him before he continued.  "My mother gave it to me to use at school."

It took a moment for the knut to drop.  Suddenly Harry was on his feet.  "You…"  If he had been pale before, it was nothing to the strange colour he sporting now.  "You!" he exclaimed, far more loudly this time.

"Sit down, Potter," Severus said impatiently.  "There's no-" 

"You!" Harry yelled, running his hands through his messy, black hair.  "My mum…"

"Yes, your mother!" Severus snapped, causing Harry to jump and look back at him.

Harry had seemed in the beginning stages of a temper.  Something seemed to pass between Severus and himself when they looked at each other.  Whatever it was seemed to make Harry rethink his decision to show his temper; giving Severus a withering glare, he sat down heavily.  He opened the book and started flipping through the pages wildly.

"Shall we continue," Severus sneered, "or do you need time to think about the dangers of impulsiveness?"  He gave Harry a knowing look.

Harry went red.  He glanced at me before looking back at Severus, embarrassment very evident on his features.  "Yes, sir," he said, his voice wavering slightly as he closed the book.

Severus nodded curtly.  "I will not have you deluding yourself that the other person in that book is your father."

Harry looked pained.  "Were you…just…er..uh…"

Severus folded his arms.  "Your eloquence never ceases to inspire me, Potter."

Harry swallowed.  "Just friends?" he said finally.  He looked desperate. "Were you and my mum just _friends_?"

Severus looked coolly at him for a moment.  I found myself pondering the answer too…well what that answer might imply…

"Yes, Potter," he said simply.  He pronounced the word slowly on purpose.  "_Friends_."

The way he answered left me wondering its real meaning after all.  I was sure Harry was feeling the same way.  He looked like he was about to be sick.

Harry squeezed his hands into fists in an effort to control the shaking.

"We were friends from our childhood, Potter," Severus went on, watching Harry closely.  "It continued during our years at Hogwarts.  We generally partnered each other in school assignments, hence the reason you see the conversations between us in this book."  He gestured to the book which Harry was no longer clutching to his chest.

"So all those…new spells and stuff…"  Harry looked tentatively at him.

Severus inclined his head.  "Were…_are _mine."

Harry looked down at his now shaking fists.  Then he looked over at me.  "So, I see why you had to tell him," he said glumly.  "He would have worked it out pretty quick if we'd used his inventions."

"Naturally, Potter," my brother replied, but Harry was still looking at me.

"Not just that," I said quietly, "It wouldn't be fair to let you think those inventions belonged to someone else."

Harry nodded.  "I suppose…it wouldn't be fair, would it?"

For a moment, Severus looked surprised.  He covered it up very quickly.  "Ah, there's the _Gryffindor_ spirit."

Harry glared at him.

"Very few people know of the spells in the book, Potter," said Severus seriously, "and for good reason."  Again, he gave Harry a significant look.

It seemed Harry understood, bur didn't agree.  "But, imagine if-"

"_No_, Potter," Severus said sharply.  "This is _not_ for you to decide."

Harry looked sceptically at him.

"_Listen carefully_."  Severus moved forward and put a hand on either side of the desk that Harry was sitting at.  Harry tried to move back, but to no avail.

"You will not disclose the contents of this book to _anyone_, Potter.  They were kept private for good reason.  As they are_ my_ inventions, I will continue to use my own discretion when determining their use."

Harry didn't look convinced.  "But Dumbledore-"

"The Headmaster is aware of the situation, Potter," Severus said sharply.  "He is in full agreement that the book and its contents remains under my ownership."

Harry just looked at him for a moment.  "Why was the book at Grimmauld Place, _sir_?"

Severus' eyes flashed.  "That is of little consequence, Potter."

Harry opened his mouth, presumably to argue, but Severus cut him off once more.

"This is not open for discussion, Potter.  As I said, the Headmaster knows what has transpired and he is aware this conversation is taking place.  If you take it upon yourself to share what is _not yours_ to share, believe me, Potter, I shall know and the consequence will be severe."

Harry just stared at him, a slightly resentful look on his face.

"You doubt me?" Severus whispered, his eyes glittering dangerously.  "You doubt the wizard whose spells enraptured you enough to want to study them?"  He leaned even closer so that their faces were mere inches apart.  Harry seemed very reluctant to maintain eye contact.  "Believe me, Potter, you'll wish you never so much as laid eyes on that book if you even dare disobey me."

As they looked at each other, it seemed like some wordless message passed between them; Harry's expression became more subdued than resentful and he nodded.  "Yes, sir," he said quietly.

Severus held out his hand for the book, and after a moment's hesitation, Harry handed it over.  Severus straightened up and moved back to lean on his desk again.  What hold did he have over Harry?

"You two will need to find something else to focus on in your research," Severus said quietly.

Harry gave a noncommittal grunt.  Suddenly he put his head into his hands and his face disappeared from view.

I looked over at Severus.  He was watching Harry with an impassive expression.  Severus looked rather ill himself.

"I'm such an _idiot_," came a muffled voice from Harry's direction.

"Ah, we're in agreement," said Severus.  "There's a first time for everything, Potter."

I frowned at Severus. _ Honestly_.

Harry was starting to alarm me.  His fingers were digging into his head so hard that his knuckles had gone white.

"Come now, Potter.  There's no need for this."

Harry ignored Severus.  He made a small angry noise, but didn't move from his current position.

"Sit up, Potter," Severus said impatiently.

I didn't think Harry was going to obey, but at length, he slowly moved his hands and sat up straighter.  Though his eyes were trained on the desk, they were full of tears.  When he spoke, however, his voice was steady.  "May I go, sir?"

"No."  Severus raised an eyebrow at him.  "Not that I would normally care, Potter, but do you feel inclined to run into Slytherins in your present condition?"

Harry shrugged, angrily wiping at his face with his sleeve.  "What present condition?" he muttered.

Severus rolled his eyes.   "The one you're trying to rid yourself of with your sleeve."

Harry stopped and glared at him, though he didn't look that convincing with red eyes.

Severus looked unfazed.  "Not that I generally question it, Potter, but why have you labelled yourself an idiot?"

Harry shook his head.  "I don't know."

Severus inclined his head mockingly.  "Well reasoned," he drawled.

Harry sent him another glare.  "Why would you care…sir?"

"I am interested to know if this is something we shall have to deal with in future lessons," my brother said simply.  "I don't wish to waste my time on new concepts with you, Potter, if you're going to be too hung up on this."

Harry considered this before shaking his head.

Severus nodded curtly.  "Let's deal with this now then, shall we?"

Harry looked dubiously at him.

Severus sighed.  "You know how this works, Potter.  Need I remind you?"

Again, Harry shook his head.  "I'm…disappointed…I thought the book was something I'd found that belonged to my parents…"  He shot Severus yet another glare.  "So, I'm a sentimental Gryffindor who lives in Dreamland…sir."

"Indeed."  Severus looked at him appraisingly.  "You let your heart determine the identities of the people in this book, not your head.  It's easy to draw conclusions, Potter, when the conclusion makes one happy."

"The corrected conclusion isn't so stellar, you know."  Harry rested his chin on his hand, looking positively ill.  He looked over at me.  "If I hadn't been partnered with you, Armilla, things would have turned out very differently."

"I assure you that you wouldn't have lived to tell the tale."  Severus considered Harry through narrowed eyes.  "However, fate works in mysterious ways, wouldn't you agree, Potter?"

Harry merely grunted in reply, until he caught the look on my brother's face.  "Yes, sir," he said hastily, turning slightly pink.

"The two of you will have to explore another option with the research project."  Severus walked behind his desk and started stacking parchments.

We both nodded.  At least it was now sorted out…hopefully.  The result was inevitable: both Severus and Harry were looking very out of sorts.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N  Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.  I will admit to being slow to write this one – the right way to write the scene where Severus tells Harry about the book played on my mind for weeks.  When I first drafted out the sequel, I hadn't really stopped to consider the emotion behind writing that scene…so I hope that scene in particular was enjoyed; it was definitely the hardest to write.  I had other scenes planned for this chapter, but they were too angsty to put next to the Harry scene – I didn't want to take away the significance of that scene.  See you next chapter!

PS. Armilla _doesn't_ like Anthony

Remember that any additional information you wanted on the family tree can still be found on the Armilla Yahoo site.  Coral Grace.


	19. Scent

**Chapter 19**

The first month of school passed and before I knew it, it was mid October. The Wizarding world continued to be a worrisome place; each day _The Daily Prophet_ was full of bleak accounts of disappearances, threats and mysterious going-ons for the muggle population. Only a month earlier, Stan Shunpike, who worked on the Knight Bus, had been arrested under suspicious circumstances. Severus had sneered when he had read the news, saying Stan was no darker than your average First Year Hufflepuff.

Severus himself had been rather edgy for the past month. He tried not to show it too much to me, since in the last couple of months he had become conscious of not taking things out on me. I could tell though, that his mood was becoming pricklier. Ever since the night he revealed to Harry Potter that he was the owner of the book in which Lily Evans' name appeared, he had seemed out of sorts.

Harry hadn't seemed much better. Though the two had reached some sort of, well I couldn't think of a word (and _tolerance_ seemed to be stretching it a bit), perhaps _reluctant understanding_ over the summer, they had gone about dealing with each other in a different matter. Severus had still goaded him on purpose to test him, but Harry, to his credit, having learnt something about self-restraint, had done his best to ignore the treatment.

Now, it seemed, there was a new attitude. Over the last few weeks, I had noticed that Severus hadn't done much to goad Harry at all during class. In fact, it was like Severus didn't bother acknowledging that Harry was even in the room during Potions. I wasn't sure how Harry felt about this treatment, but from my view it could only be a positive thing.

As far as the private Occlumency classes were concerned, I wasn't sure how progress was being made there. Neither Severus nor Harry talked about it, but I knew the classes were being held as usual.

Our Defence research project for Slughorn had certainly taken a little change. Upon my next meeting with Harry to discuss where we would move on to, Harry had been decidedly less enthusiastic, seeing that he could no longer consult his beloved book. I wasn't sure I would describe his mood as entirely resentful towards me, but I was sure he felt bitter that he had told me about the book in the first place.

The offending book was now located somewhere in our quarters. It was probably stashed away somewhere in Severus' bedroom, never to see the light of day again. Not that I would ever dream of mentioning it to my brother, but I was almost certain that Severus had read it cover to cover on the evening he had confiscated it. He had been particularly irritable and tired on the following morning and I didn't think it was a direct result of his meeting with Harry.

Draco Malfoy was another person on Severus' mind; Narcissa Malfoy had actually come to the school to have a meeting with Severus, which was on official terms, a simple parent-teacher interview. Severus had later told me that Malfoy had been communicating as little as possible with his mother and had become quite aloof. Severus wasn't quite sure how much help he could be, especially considering the lack of trust Malfoy had in him. Narcissa had left, not feeling as reassured as she wished that Severus would watch over her son. Severus had promised to do what he could, but with someone like Malfoy, it seemed there was only so much he could do.

Slughorn's dinner party had certainly been a trial. I had been stuck next to Blaise Zabini at dinner, and apart from making polite conversation with him for my brother's sake, I had spent most of the evening avoiding Slughorn's conversation.

Terry had tried out for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and had been selected for the position of Chaser. I had laughed to myself at the even prouder way Lisa now looked at him; she loved having a Chaser boyfriend.

Speaking of boyfriends, Anthony Goldstein and Mandy Brocklehurst were now regarded by most of Ravenclaw House as the most annoying couple. I generally avoided sitting anywhere near them in classes or in the Great Hall, but it was harder to avoid Mandy when I slept in the same dorm room. She spent many nights sitting up with Padma Patil and Ruby Parkes, giggling about the silliest things, which were of no importance to me. I didn't say much to Lisa, who didn't seem as bothered by Mandy as I was. It was true that some nights, particularly when the idiots were discussing the extent to which Anthony's hair glistened in the sun, all I wanted to do was go down to the dungeons to sleep there.

The Merle side of things hadn't got any easier. The ghostly Merle had continued to turn up unexpectedly when I was alone; which generally never brought me any cheer. Even though I didn't like her showing up, a twisted part of me secretly enjoyed seeing her face. The strange thing was that the joy I felt was generally short-lived, only to be replaced with a sense of bitterness that she was there in the first place. I wanted her there and I didn't want her there. Having the same mental argument every time I saw her always left me feeling agitated.

On a Saturday halfway through October, Hogwarts castle was not as quiet as it ought to have been. Students had the opportunity to visit Hogsmeade, something which was generally viewed with much enthusiasm. Most of the students in my year had decided to go, particularly the couples who wanted to have some time alone in a restaurant.

Many students in other years had decided not to go this time, either because their parents had written expressing that they were to remain on the castle grounds, or because they were simply too nervous.

Severus had mentioned that Aurors were everywhere around Hogsmeade, but he had still been against the idea of me going. I hadn't suggested it, seeing as I didn't want to go anywhere off the castle grounds where I couldn't see my brother. Babyish, I knew, but I wasn't likely to get over that any time soon.

Severus and I sat down on the sofa in our quarters, quite exhausted after an hour of duelling. I had put my heart and soul into it; I had run into the ghostly Merle on my way down to the dungeons, which meant I had a lot of angry energy to spare. I had received the usual load of _Don't_ _you love me?_ and _I have come all this way to see you and you won't talk to me_ emotional blackmail. I had done doing my best not to reply, which really hadn't been easy.

"That was no good," I said, putting my wand away. I hadn't made any progress at all. I could hold up the mental shield, but my ability to fire hexes at the same time was still much the same.

Severus shook his head, putting his wand away after conjuring two glasses of water. "Give it time," he said, passing me a glass. "We've only been doing this for a couple of months. I expect it will take a fair amount of time before you've conquered it."

I nodded, though I was still unconvinced. I should have made more progress by now. Perhaps I was just too agitated by Merle.

"Now," said Severus, placing his glass on the coffee table. "I want to talk to you about Thursday."

"What about it?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I am sure that I do not need to remind you that Thursday is the first anniversary of Merle's death."

"No, I knew," I said shortly. "What about it?"

He frowned. "I would have suggested a trip to the cemetery after classes, however, I would like to avoid a public place where certain people might expect us to be on that day."

I nodded in agreement. There was certainly a chance that Father would take advantage of the day to station either himself or an over zealous advocate at the cemetery in the hope that my brother and I would appear.

"I believe that-"

Severus was cut off as a ringing sound filled the room. I started at the sound.

"Someone wants to see me outside my office," said Severus, standing up, "rather urgently it would seem."

"How do you know it's urgent?"

"The bell only rings if it's urgent," he said simply, striding to the door. "The wards on the door can sense emergency. I developed it after having too many knocks on my office door for insignificant cases." He turned around after opening the door. "We'll continue this conversation later."

I nodded, marvelling once again at how inventive he was with magic.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

I stayed in our quarters and worked on my Potions homework for an hour. Severus had set very difficult homework, as usual. I made good use of the books I was allowed to touch in the sitting room.

When an hour and a half had gone by, I decided to go up to Ravenclaw Tower to see if Lisa and Terry had returned from Hogsmeade. I would come back down to the dungeons later to see Severus.

I walked along the dungeon corridors, thinking about what Severus had been saying before he'd been interrupted. I expected that he thought we should do something to acknowledge the day; it was nice that he had good intentions about Merle, but when I thought of Thursday, something didn't sit quite right with me. For some reason I really didn't want to do anything to mark the day? Was that wrong?

By the time I was close to the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower, I had quite thoroughly convinced myself that it was disgraceful that I was against commemorating the day. How could I be so cold?

"Why the long face, dear?"

I jumped, as Merle's ghostly form appeared suddenly at my side.

"Merle," I muttered crossly to myself, walking faster.

"Matilda owled earlier," she said, conversationally. "She's going to come for dinner tomorrow night."

I bit my lip, hearing Matilda's name. It really was like having the real Merle walking right next to me.

"I'm not going to serve those marshmallow cauldron cakes again," Merle said, matter-of-factly, "they made you ill last time."

"Don't they didn't," I said, turning to tell her that it was actually the cream pasties that had made me ill. I froze, realising that I had just acknowledged the ghost's presence. Merlin, I was so stupid! I had been so good at ignoring her, too.

I shook my head and continued walking, annoyed with myself. Really, I was arguing over something that had happened a few years ago.

"Perhaps it was the cream pasties," Merle said thoughtfully, as I reached the entrance.

I pursed my lips, as I turned to look at her. She stared back at me and suddenly smiled. She was so beautiful. She opened her mouth to say something else, but I didn't allow her the chance. I hastily let myself into the Tower, confident that she wasn't going to follow me.

I was immediately surrounded by noise, which was surprising considering Ravenclaws weren't usually known as a rowdy bunch.

"Armilla!" Terry called from across the room, waving me over.

I started moving through the crowd, towards where Terry and Lisa were sitting with Michael Corner and Luna Lovegood.

Padma Patil stopped me on the way. "Is she okay?"

Having Merle on my mind, I was caught off guard by such a question. "Is who okay?"

"Katie, of course," Padma said, giving me a weird look. "Katie Bell."

I shook my head. "I don't-"

"Milly!" Terry called again, beckoning me over.

I kept moving through the crowd, this time pretending not to hear people who were calling my name in the hope of getting information they presumed I had.

When I reached them, Lisa immediately grabbed my arm and pulled me down onto the seat next to her.

"Do you know about Katie Bell?" she asked.

"Er…no," I said, looking around at them. The four of them were staring back at me expectantly. Even the groups nearby weren't doing a great job of disguising the fact that they were eavesdropping.

"Something happened to her on the way back from Hogsmeade," said Terry, leaning forward. "We think she was cursed by some necklace."

I frowned. "A necklace? Where did she get it from?"

Michael shook his head. "We're not sure. We think someone gave it to her in Hogsmeade."

"Lots of different stories are going around," said Lisa, nodding. "Some are saying that she picked up the necklace and it tightened around her hand and tried to cut of the blood flow."

"Personally, I think Katie somehow got hold of the _Capgras Delusion_ necklace," said Luna, looking around at us knowingly.

"Oh, do go on," Michael muttered, shaking his head.

"You may scoff all you like, Michael Corner." Luna looked at him solemnly. "Anyone who acquires _Capgras Delusion_ is to be greatly pitied. If you're affected by it, you suddenly start doubting the people you're closest to and think they're actually impostors." Her eyes grew wide. "Sometimes you even start doubting your own reflection. Muggles are firm believers in the disease. Legend has it that there was a necklace in the possession of a pureblood couple. The wife was outraged when her husband befriended muggles in the neighbouring village, so she killed a few of them. The husband was so angry that he put a powerful curse into his wife's favourite necklace. When she put it on, she couldn't take it off. She slowly went mad, thinking that she was surrounded by impostors. Only upon her death could the necklace be removed." Luna lowered her voice, so we all had to lean in to hear her. "No one knows what became of the necklace."

There was silence as we all took this in.

"You're a good storyteller, Lovegood," Michael said, rolling his eyes.

"Nah, I think she's on to something," said Terry, earnestly. "Think about it. The wizarding world is at war. Maybe Katie had associated with muggles or something and someone's trying to make an example of her."

"I think that's pretty far-fetched," I commented. I would have been amused at the disappointed look on Terry's face, but I was more worried about Katie. Had someone really intended for Katie to have that necklace? "Why Katie?"

"That's just the thing," said Ruby Parkes, sitting down to join us. "Maybe the necklace fell into the wrong hands." She looked at me. "The others think you might know more details about how she is now."

I shook my head. "Why would I?"

"Apparently Filch was sent down to Snape's office with the necklace," said Lisa. "We saw him rushing up to the Hospital Wing when we came back."

"I suppose Snape knows more about dealing with curses," said Ruby.

"What makes you think that?" Terry asked, frowning at her.

Ruby shrugged. "I just think he would have a lot of knowledge in that area. I've heard Slytherins say so before." She looked at me, clearly waiting for me to either confirm or deny what she'd said. When I simply looked back at her indifferently, she got up and walked away.

"I do hope Katie will be all right," said Lisa, worriedly.

"Mm," Terry nodded. "It just shows how unexpectedly things can happen to you."

Michael stood up and stretched. "It just shows that nobody is as safe as they think they are." He grimaced. "Oh, look, here they come again."

Terry followed his line of sight and then rolled his eyes. "Ugh, lovebirds alert."

I looked over to see Anthony and Mandy making their way into the room, hand in hand.

"Time to go," Lisa announced. "Come on," she said to me, standing up. "Let's go up to our dorm and work on our Charms homework. Mandy can't come up there without Anthony."

"Excellent idea," said Terry, as I stood up. "I need to get some books from the library."

"I'll join you," Michael said to Terry. "Anything to escape them."

Terry smirked. "If we see them in the library we'll send an anonymous note to Madam Pince."

Lisa frowned as Michael and I laughed. "I thought Anthony was still your friend."

Terry shrugged. "Well he hasn't paid me much attention in the last couple of weeks."

"Wait till they break up," I said. "He'll be back."

"Wait till who break up?" came a voice from behind me.

I turned to see Anthony and Mandy right behind me. I inwardly cringed. How much had they heard?

"Uh…the Weird Sisters," Lisa said hurriedly, looking a little guilty. "Haven't you heard? They're having issues again."

Anthony stared at her for a moment and then looked back at me. "Oh."

"Well, come on Mill." Lisa grabbed my arm. "I want to finish that homework."

I followed her upstairs without a backwards glance.

"I'd say _nice save_," I murmured, "but I'm not sure it _was_ a good one."

Lisa let out a disgruntled noise. "Oh, who cares what _they_ think anyhow?"

"I suppose."

We reached our dorm and I was happy to find it empty; Lisa and I could work on our homework in peace.

"I'm surprised Terry is so dismissive of his friendship with Anthony," Lisa commented, as she rummaged in her schoolbag for her things.

"I think he's just annoyed that Anthony would brush him off so quickly," I said, opening my wardrobe door. It had a connection with my wardrobe in my bedroom in the dungeons. I could retrieve my possessions from both wardrobes. "After all, when you and Terry started going out, he didn't desert his friends." I reached in and grabbed the things I needed.

"No," Lisa agreed, sitting on her bed. "I suppose you're right." She looked up, crinkling her nose. "It smells like perfume in here."

I nodded. "I know. I think it's that stuff that Anthony bought Mandy for her birthday."

Lisa shuddered. "It's awful."

We worked on our homework for over half an hour, by which time Padma, Ruby and Mandy came up, all giggling and talking about what they'd done in Hogsmeade.

"Oh, I feel guilty looking at you two," said Padma, when she caught sight of the books on our beds. "I think I'll spend this evening doing homework."

"Oh, how terribly exciting," Ruby drawled, sitting down on her bed. "What a great way to spend a Saturday night."

"And what are _you_ planning on doing, Ruby?" Lisa asked, a little too politely.

Ruby shrugged. "I don't know yet."

"_I_ know what I'm doing," said Mandy, in a sickening (in my opinion) sing-song voice.

"Let me see..." Padma pretended to think hard about it. "Seeing Anthony?"

Mandy laughed. "Of course." She disappeared into the bathroom.

"You know, Ruby," said Lisa dryly, "you could always go along as Mandy's chaperone."

Ruby glared at her, before getting out her own books.

I had just started putting my things away, thinking that I would go down to the dungeons and see if Severus had returned, when there was a shriek from the bathroom.

"Look at _this_!" Mandy screeched. "Who did it?" She appeared in the doorway, looking outraged. She looked around at all of us. "Who did it?"

"Who did _what_?" Padma asked, looking startled. "What happened?"

"Come and see." With that she turned and disappeared into the bathroom again.

Curious, we all jumped up to see what all the fuss was about. We all crowded into the bathroom and were immediately confronted with a strong, flowery smell, the same smell that had made its way into the dorm.

"Here!" Mandy said harshly. "Look at _this_!"

She gestured to the top shelf in the bathroom cupboard. There, in many, many pieces were the remains of a perfume bottle. The perfume itself was all over the shelf and had leaked over the edge onto the things below.

"Oh, yuck!" exclaimed Ruby, reaching for a couple of things on the bottom shelf. "It's leaked onto my stuff."

"It sure does stink in here," Lisa said, waving her hand. "I'd been wondering where that smell came from."

Mandy put her hands on her hips. "Well, it's nice to know that you all _care_. That was my birthday present from Anthony."

"Of _course_ we care," said Padma, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm sure it was just an accident."

"You think so?" I said, staring at the bottle. "Wouldn't you think the person who did it would notice and tell Mandy that it happened?" It sure didn't look like an accident to me.

Mandy looked around at all of us, her eyes probing as if trying to find hidden information. "I've no doubt that it was done deliberately."

I had to agree. Someone had come in and done this and left it for Mandy to find.

"The question," Mandy narrowed her eyes at us, "is _who_?"

There was silence. The stench in the room was starting to give me a headache.

Mandy folded her arms. "Well?"

Lisa glared at her. "You think it was one of _us_?"

Mandy returned the glare. "Well, who else could it have been?"

"Oh, I don't know," I said sarcastically, "_any_ of the girls in Ravenclaw?"

"There's quite a few of us, you know," Lisa added.

Mandy shook her head. "You girls are the only ones who knew Anthony gave me that perfume. I didn't show it to anyone else."

"But you've been wearing it every day since your birthday," I pointed out. "I think people would figure out pretty quickly that someone gave you perfume."

"And only the best Auror would be able to figure out that you keep it in the bathroom," said Padma, scathingly.

Ruby nodded. "I wouldn't be too quick to judge, Mandy. It really could have been someone who isn't in our year."

Mandy didn't look convinced. "But why my perfume? Is someone out there really that jealous of my relationship with Anthony?" This time she looked directly at me.

Me? Jealous of _her_? How utterly offensive! I was insulted! I stared back at her indifferently. "Maybe," I said slowly, "the person who did it just doesn't appreciate the scent of your perfume and wanted to put a stop to you wearing it."

Lisa smirked. "You never know. Perhaps there's been a common room petition to put an end to the smell and a candidate was nominated to do it."

Mandy broke her suspicious gaze away from me to glower at Lisa.

"Look," said Padma, looking uncomfortable. "This isn't going to solve anything." She looked at Mandy. "Perhaps you can get another bottle."

Mandy shook her head. "Do you even realise how expensive it was?"

Padma looked surprised for a moment. "Oh…was it?" She shrugged. "Well, it wasn't me and I don't appreciate being held under suspicion like this, so I'm going to go and work on my homework." She turned and went back into the dorm.

"It wasn't me either," I said, as Mandy's distrustful face focused on me again, "and you can stop giving me that look."

I turned and left as well, feeling terribly annoyed at the silent accusation. Anthony had asked me out a while ago now, so why did it automatically mean that I was guilty?

The girls came back into the dorm whilst I was packing the last of my things back into the wardrobe. I ignored Mandy's eyes burning into me. Ruby was trying to convince Mandy to go for a walk to clear the air, but Mandy would have none of it.

I was relieved that I was going down to the dungeons. Lisa noticed that I was about to leave and decided to join me for part of the walk. She was going to head to the library to see if Terry was still there.

"Perhaps we should steer clear of Mandy for a little while," she muttered, as we left the common room.

"Who do you think did it?" I asked. I would have loved to hex whoever did it because I didn't like Mandy secretly blaming me.

Lisa shook her head. "No idea." She giggled. "I'm kind of glad though. I wasn't a huge fan of that exotic aroma."

"No, nor I," I agreed. As annoyed as I was at Mandy, I couldn't bring myself to laugh. I would have been upset too if it had been something that had meant a lot to me.

We parted ways soon after and I headed down to the dungeons, Mandy's accusing face on my mind. I felt uneasy and angry at the same time. It must have been someone who didn't sleep in our dorm. I could think of no reason why Lisa, Padma or Ruby would do it.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you!"

I groaned as Merle once again appeared by my side for the third time that day. "Shar is coming for tea later on."

I groaned again, though there was no chance of having tea with Shar. I shuddered at the thought. It had been almost a year since he had confronted me in the kitchen of my old house.

Merle clapped her hands together as I quickened my pace. "What do you think of making those jam tartlets Shar adores?"

I didn't answer; to be honest, I would have preferred to hurl jam tartlets at Shar…or perhaps something a little more dangerous. I didn't think even the ghostly Merle would appreciate my reply.

"Armilla?" Out of the corner of my eye I could tell that Merle was frowning at me. "I asked you a question."

I continued to ignore her, focusing instead on estimating how many more steps it would take to reach the portrait that concealed our quarters. Forty? Perhaps Thirty?

"Well, now!" Merle sounded rather angry. "I never brought you up to be this ill-mannered!"

Maybe twenty steps to go…

"Armilla! Armilla? Can you even _hear_ me?"

Ah, there was the portrait. Ten steps…

"Armilla! Answer me _right_ now!"

Five…

"I am _very_ displeased! Armilla? Armilla!"

I let myself in and closed the door quickly. I leant back against it and heaved a sigh of relief.

_Armilla! Armilla! _Merle's voice seemed to echo in my head. For once, I didn't like the sound of it. I wished she would just go away and leave me in peace. Maybe she could go and bother Mandy instead.

Severus came down the corridor. He took a look at me leaning against the door and gave me a grim smile. "Making a nuisance of herself again, is she?"

I nodded. I hadn't felt so…_angry_ for such a long time.

_Armilla! Armilla!_

"Armilla? Are you going to answer me?"

I hastily looked over at Severus, startled. He was standing in front of the sofa, giving me a strange look.

"Sorry," I mumbled, moving away from the door. I walked forward a couple of steps.

_Armilla! Armilla!_ Her voice seemed stuck in my head.

"_Armilla_," said Severus, a little more sharply. "What did she do?"

"Nothing different to usual," I said, distractedly, "I saw her twice more. She keeps getting angry at me. I hear her in my head…calling my name."

Severus looked more furious than concerned. "I cannot wait to set my wand upon Father," he said through gritted teeth. He seemed to have made his mind up for sure that Father was behind it all.

He sighed and sat down on the sofa. I moved forward and sat down beside him. I felt like punching something, and I wasn't sure if it was due to Merle or Mandy.

"This may not be an opportune time to bring this up," Severus said, watching as I fidgeted with a cushion, "but I believe we need to continue the conversation we had before."

I nodded, though I was really in no mood to discuss anything in relation to Merle.

"As I said earlier, making a visit to the cemetery on Thursday is out of the question."

I nodded again. "That's fine." I didn't really want to go.

"That said," he went on, "that doesn't mean the day has to pass without any form of recognition. Is there anything you would like to do to acknowledge the day?"

"No," I said bluntly.

Severus paused, watching me with the cushion. "It's quite a few days away. You don't need to answer right away. Why don't you think about it?"

I shook my head. "I don't _need_ to think about it. I'd rather treat it as any other day."

"Armilla."

I broke my attention away from the cushion to meet my brother's gaze.

He was wearing a calculating expression. "Would the ghostly Merle's appearances have something to do with your indifference to the real Merle?"

"I'm _not_ indifferent to Merle," I said at once, feeling uncomfortable. I must have sounded so cold…I hadn't meant it that way at all. "How could I be?" I shifted on the sofa. "I just…won't need to be reminded to think of her next Thursday because I think of her all the time anyway." I looked away. "At the moment I'm constantly reminded of her and I don't need any more reminders than I already have."

Severus inclined his head. "That's fair." He was silent for a moment. "I hope this fake Merle doesn't do anything to influence your feelings about the real Merle."

I nodded. "It's starting to," I murmured. "Because I'm not supposed to talk to her, she gets angry. Then I hate being anywhere near her…"

"_It_," Severus corrected. "It may help to refer to this thing as an _it_."

"It," I repeated. "It's hard to think of her…it that way. She's so real – and I know that's what I'm supposed to think…" I shrugged. "I guess it's just getting to me. I know it shouldn't."

"We've talked about removing all emotion associated with this thing," Severus said, leaning forward as a tray with a steaming teapot and cups appeared on the table. He began to make the tea. "I appreciate that it is very difficult, but it is something you must conquer. You are _feeling_ too much when it appears."

I didn't answer. I knew he was right, I _did _feel too much.

Severus handed me a cup. "I want you to start reciting things in your head from now on whenever Merle appears."

"Like what?"

"Steps for brewing Potions, listing ingredients, wand movements required…anything it takes, as long as you keep your mind focused on anything instead of the thing that is determined to plague you."

I nodded. "I'll try." I put my tea back down. I didn't feel like tea.

Severus also put his cup down. "I'll be back in a moment." He got up and disappeared into his bedroom. When he returned a moment later, he dropped something in my lap.

It was a bar of orange flavoured chocolate. My favourite.

"I wouldn't normally encourage it," Severus said, eyeing it as I picked it up, "but eat at least half of it before dinner."

"Thank you." As Severus continued to drink his tea, I ate a couple of pieces and immediately felt better, until I remembered something.

"How's Katie?" I asked. How on _earth_ had I forgotten about Katie?

Severus looked grim as he put his cup down. "Stable, for now. She is to be transferred to St Mungo's in the morning. How did you know of it?"

"I went up to Ravenclaw Tower while you were gone," I answered, breaking off more chocolate. "Everyone up there was talking about it. I'm not sure I have the correct story." I told him what I'd heard.

Severus shook his head when I told him of Luna's _Capgras Delusion_ theory. "It's only natural at Hogwarts that there will be at least a dozen varying versions of today's events."

He filled me in on what had really happened. It was close enough to what I'd heard. Luckily, only Katie's skin had brushed against the necklace, which had left a small hole in her glove. Severus had been called upon to stop the curse spreading. I felt pride swell up inside me that Severus could be relied upon in these sorts of situations.

"She will be quite unwell for some time, I expect," Severus finished, draining the last of his tea. "I expect more parents to withdraw their children from the school after this incident…or at least forbid them from visiting Hogsmeade."

"Do you know how Katie ended up with that necklace?" I asked.

"I have my suspicions," he acknowledged, "but until I investigate further I shall make no comment." He looked over at me. "I'm going to be utterly _parent-ish_ for a moment for my own peace of mind. You know never to take presents from strangers…or even suspicious looking parcels from people you know?"

I frowned. "Of _course_ I know that. I do those spells on my mail all the time – the ones you taught me."

He nodded. "I know." He gave a dry laugh. "Of course you know. It's just that it was terribly unnerving when I was in the Hospital Wing earlier. We're still trying to establish the details of exactly how Miss Bell came to be with that necklace…she may have been bewitched or she may have been confident in accepting it from someone." He sighed, looking weary. "All things aside, she might have lost her life today."

I started fidgeting with the cushion again, trying not to imagine how horrible it would have been if Katie had died; probably similar to the feeling that had been in the school after Cedric Diggory had died.

We sat in silence for a little while. I thought about Katie for ages. I couldn't understand how I had managed to forget about her. It should have been the first thing I asked Severus when I saw him. I didn't think Merle was much of an excuse. At that, my thoughts headed in Merle's direction. Pushing Merle, no _it_ away, my mind wandered back to Mandy and I began to feel agitated once more.

Thanks to the chocolate, I wasn't feeling as lowly as I had before, but I had enough irritation inside to want to throw jam tarts at Mandy.

I moved over and made my way into Severus' arms, something I rarely initiated.

He made no objection; he shifted slightly so I could lay my head against his chest.

He stroked my hair. "Nothing else is wrong?"

"No."

"Mm." He didn't sound convinced.

"Nothing important anyway."

"Indeed."

We were silent for a moment.

"Armilla?"

"Yes?"

"Are you wearing perfume?"

"_No_," I said, perhaps a little more harshly than I should have. Maybe it was embarrassment.

"I see." Severus' tone implied that he didn't in fact see at all and was less than pleased with my reply. "It was merely an enquiry, Armilla."

"Someone broke Mandy's perfume in our bathroom," I explained, a little more calmly. "Our dorm stinks of it now."

"Oh."

I moved to get up. "I'll go and shower." I wasn't confident any spell would properly rid me of the smell.

Severus pulled me back towards him. "No, don't worry about it now."

"But I don't like the smell."

"It seems you hadn't noticed it until I said something," he said, as I leaned against his chest again. "I didn't say it to make you self-conscious; I was merely curious. I just don't normally associate that…_scent_ with you."

I smiled to myself, thinking for the first time about my brother's familiar scent. I always recognised it, but had never stopped to think about it before. I remembered subconsciously being more aware of it when I had been reunited with him last New Year's Day after staying with Father, and then again when he had sought me out in the Forbidden Forest after I had escaped Father. I associated so much comfort with Severus' scent. What _was_ it exactly? It seemed to be a combination or whatever very mild cologne he wore and some potions ingredients…maybe cinnamon…or ginger…

Severus gave a dry laugh. "And here I was struggling with myself on how to break it to you that you really don't need perfume."

I smiled again. "Especially not that one."

"I presume Miss Brocklehurst received it from Mr Goldstein?"

I nodded grimly. "For her birthday."

I'd thought that Severus had been secretly pleased when he'd found out about the two of them. It meant, in his view, that Anthony would stop pursuing me.

"It seems an odd thing for someone to deliberately break."

I nodded again. "Mandy thinks that someone who's jealous of her and Anthony is behind it."

"Ah." He paused for a moment. "And so she's disposed to hold you accountable, then?"

I was surprised. "How did you know that?"

"My brilliant skills of deduction, Armilla."

"Oh." I sat up so I could look at him. "I'm _not_ jealous though."

He looked back at me. "I know that," he said indifferently. "We both know that. Miss Brocklehurst's small mind doesn't though." He looked seriously at me. "An incident like that would have filled her with paranoia, causing her to appoint blame in any direction she saw fit. Unfortunately, it was in your direction, hence your lovely mood when you arrived, Merle aside."

I gave him a guilty smile.

"You have every right to be annoyed," he said. "I would be too."

"What should I do?"

"Nothing really," he replied, shaking his head. "Carry on as normal, though keep an eye out for people loitering in the hall outside your dormitory. If you act too differently, Miss Brocklehurst may feel she has cause for suspicion."

"Okay."

He got up. "Come. I've got some potions to brew and I'd be appreciative of your assistance."

I followed him into the lab.

"Do keep an eye on Miss Turpin, though, won't you?" he said, as he began selecting ingredients.

"Lisa? Why?" Why was he suspicious of Lisa?

He sneered. "I don't suspect her of any malicious wrongdoing, but I have no doubt she would seek revenge on your part if she decided it was required. The girl has that sort of temper."

I smiled. He was perfectly right.

Severus opened a jar with a floating insect in it and smelt it. He pulled a face. "The juices have gone off," he said, wincing as he placed the lid back on.

He slid the jar towards me. "Here. Offer that to Miss Brocklehurst as a replacement."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Reviews are always appreciated…and give me more faith when writing a new chapter.

Much more was meant to be in this chapter, but it was getting too long and I was going to end up with a chapter twice the usual length. Hopefully this means the next chapter will be along much quicker than usual. I'm on my yearly five week break at the moment, so hopefully I'll manage at least two more chapters before the new school year begins and I'm snowed under by children again.

Yes, _Capgras Delusion_ is a real disease.

Happy New Year!


	20. Moving Backwards

**Chapter 20**

I woke up feeling strangely optimistic on Thursday morning. Why? I had no idea. The fact that today was the first anniversary of Merle's death had nothing to do with it. Nothing much had changed in the last few days. In fact, life had a bit of a monotonous feel to it at the moment: get up, run into Merle, tell Severus, go to class, run into Merle, tell Severus, do homework, run into Merle, tell Severus, go to bed.

I wasn't looking for a huge change in life, mind; I'd had enough change in the past year to last me several years at least. I sighed and rolled over, staring up at the canopy of my four poster bed, listening to Lisa murmur in her sleep.

In fact, there were three things I wanted in life at the moment and they all involved a sense of _good riddance_. Firstly, I wanted You-Know-Who to meet the most sticky end imaginable; and with the amount of people sharing that wish at the moment I fervently hoped some divine power would hear our plea. It wasn't just for the fact that I wanted peace restored to the wizarding world; I wanted Severus to live a life doing what _he_ wanted, without pressure from anyone else. Not that I begrudged Dumbledore; I just thought that he expected a lot from Severus.

Secondly, I wanted to hear the news that Father's old age had finally caught up with him. Not that he was really that old; he was only in his sixties, but as long as he was alive and breathing I would not feel entirely safe from him.

Speaking of feeling safe from Father, the third thing I dearly desired was to stop Merle's visits. Seeing as Severus and I were convinced that Father was the guilty one where the ghostly Merle was concerned, as soon as my second wish came true, it would be inevitable that the third would have to as well.

Now, were those three things really that much to ask for? They were the _main_ three things anyway. There were lots more petty things I wanted.

I wanted to invent a magical _Great Ideas Generator_ so I could solve the problem of what to get Severus for Christmas and his birthday. Why did they have to be so close together?

I wanted to do well in the Defensive Magic project Harry and I were working on. I also wished Harry wouldn't be so…aloof when we were working together. It made me really uncomfortable.

I wanted Ravenclaw to win their first Quidditch game, so Terry wouldn't feel disappointed.

I wanted free reign of Fred and George Weasley's shop to purchase what I liked.

I wanted to stop forgetting things; the night before I had searched everywhere for my hairbrush, only to remember when I had finally gotten into bed that I had left it on my desk in my bedroom in the dungeons. That could have been dismissed as a simple thing to forget if I hadn't done the exact same thing the night before.

Actually, there had been a _slight _change over the last few days as far as classes went, but I'd been pretending I hadn't noticed. In addition to forgetting things, casting new spells hadn't come to me as easily as they should have done. I was determined that it was just an off week, something that I wouldn't mention to Severus. Next week would be different.

I wanted Mandy to get over giving me the silent treatment. She had been giving me the cold shoulder ever since the perfume incident. Not that I really cared that she wasn't talking to me; I wasn't close enough to Mandy to care if she talked to me or not. It was more the effort that she was putting into not talking to me that bothered me.

Honestly, she made a big show of dramatically turning around whenever I entered our dorm, or dropping her voice to a hushed whisper. Ruby, being Mandy's closest friend, was happy to oblige, but Padma always looked uncomfortable.

Mandy had also taken to loudly declaring where she put her possessions. Only the evening before she had waved a small fan about, another gift from Anthony, and had stated, "I am going to keep this in the _first drawer_ of my _bedside table_, where I can keep track of it."

Lisa had then politely suggested another place where Mandy could stick it, which had resulted in a scornful look from Mandy and a flourishing of robes as she dramatically turned and swept into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I was convinced she was going to give herself an ulcer if she kept this up.

I crawled out of bed and had a shower. When I returned, it was to find Lisa and Mandy at loggerheads with each other, making no effort to keep their voices down.

"I don't know where it is and I don't _care _where it is!" Lisa was standing in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips, while Mandy was standing near my bed.

Mandy turned to me as I made my way over to my bed. "Do _you_ know where it is, Armilla?"

"Where _what_ is?" I asked. "Elaborate."

"My charm bracelet, of course!" she snapped. "I left it on my bedside table yesterday. It's gone!"

Oh, Merlin, here we go again…who was doing this?

"It's probably in the room somewhere, Mandy," said Ruby, who was sitting on the edge of her bed. "Did you check behind the furniture?"

"Of course I did!" Mandy shrieked, stamping her foot. "I've searched everywhere!"

"Stop yelling, Mandy," said Lisa, shaking her head. "You sound like a banshee."

It was true, but not at all a helpful thing to say.

"I'll yell if I want to!" Mandy was now turning the colour of a beetroot.

The door suddenly opened, and Corinne Giusti, a Seventh year prefect, stuck her head in. "Is everything okay in here?"

Mandy clenched her fists, while Padma, also a prefect, gave Corinne a forced smile.

"Everything's under control, Corinne," she said.

Corinne gave her a dubious look. "It sure sounds like it, Padma. I just caught some First and Second years trying to eavesdrop at the door."

"Well, tell them to bugger off," Mandy muttered, sitting down hard on her bed.

"Just keep the noise down and sort out whatever it is, or Flitwick's going to have to hear about it." Corinne shut the door with a loud snap.

"You know," I said, using my wand to dry my hair, "if the bracelet's simply lost, why not summon it?"

"You _are_ a witch, aren't you?" Lisa muttered.

Mandy gave a stiff nod. She was probably mentally berating herself for not thinking of it earlier. Sometimes when one is so fired up, the simplest solutions are never thought of.

Mandy pulled her wand out. "_Accio_ charm bracelet!"

There was a muffled thudding noise from nearby.

"It's coming from your trunk, Armilla," said Padma, moving over to watch.

Indeed it was. Something was thudding against the lid of my trunk. The lid suddenly burst open and the gold charm bracelet, glimmering in the morning sunlight, shot out and zoomed straight into Mandy's outstretched hand.

"_Gee_, what a set up," Lisa drawled.

Mandy ignored her and look expectantly at me instead.

"I can give you no explanation," I said calmly, anger boiling up inside me. "I didn't put it there."

Mandy narrowed her eyes. "Seems weird that someone would bother stealing it, only to hide it in _your_ trunk."

"Exactly," I said coolly. "Clearly the person who is doing this isn't very clever. If the object is so easily found, they _want_ you to think it's me."

"Well reasoned," said Lisa, promptly, giving a nod of approval. I gave her a look to let her know that she wasn't helping.

I turned back to Mandy. "Why would I want to steal your bracelet?"

Mandy shrugged.

"Perhaps you like it?" Ruby suggested.

"Armilla wears silver jewellery," Lisa pointed out, looking bored. "Stealing gold jewellery really wouldn't be worth her while."

"That's not the point," I snapped, causing Lisa to frown at me. Mandy was giving me a doubtful look. "If I had really wanted to steal it, wouldn't I have found a much better hiding space? Wouldn't I have put a spell on it to block summoning spells?"

"She's right," said Padma, nodding. "Armilla had no reason to steal it, Mandy. Someone else came in and put it there. The person who did it wasn't subtle, which has to mean that it was intended to be found in Armilla's trunk."

"Who do you suggest did it then?" Mandy asked, putting on the bracelet.

"Well there were plenty of First and Second years eavesdropping outside the door just then," said Lisa. "Either they were attracted by the sound of your lovely voice or they came to find out something…maybe one of them was dared to do it."

"It's not a real Ravenclaw thing to do," muttered Mandy, sitting down on her bed.

Ruby shrugged. "But it has to be a Ravenclaw who did it."

I didn't care which Ravenclaw it was. All I wanted was to find out who it was so I could try out a lovely rage of hexes.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

So much for waking up feeling optimistic about things. The ghostly Merle paid me a visit between classes when I was waiting for Lisa outside the girls' bathroom. I immediately started reciting potions ingredients in my head as a distraction, as Severus had suggested. Thankfully the visit was cut short, as she disappeared right as Lisa came out.

I did not enjoy Transfiguration that day at all that day. We revised vanishing spells on vertebrates, something which I had mastered a long time ago. Today, however, it had taken me five attempts before it would work, resulting in McGonagall to give me a strange look. I hoped she would not tell Severus.

"Don't worry about it," Lisa said quietly, as we made our way to the dungeons for Potions. "You're just having an off day."

"Isn't it Merle's anniversary today, Mill?" Terry asked.

I nodded.

"Well, that's it then," said Lisa. "You're thinking about Merle. No wonder you're distracted."

I nodded again. I'd let them think that. They didn't know that Merle was always on my mind at the moment, because she was _always_ around.

"Lisa told me about Mandy." Terry looked over his shoulder. "Mandy's an idiot, Milly."

I shrugged. "I already knew that. But someone in Ravenclaw is an even bigger idiot…whoever is behind it all had better watch out."

"Do you think we ought to tell Professor Flitwick about all this?" Terry asked. "You could warn him that you're Mandy's number one suspect. You know, get there before Mandy does?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sure I really want to bring teachers into this just yet. It would seem rather petty."

Terry wasn't convinced. "Yeah, but think about it, Milly. Someone is setting you up. They might do something far worse next time."

"Look," Lisa said impatiently, as we headed down the dungeon steps, "how would this look to Flitwick? A bunch of Sixth Years who can't sort out a simple problem?"

I shrugged. "It's simple right now, but Terry's right; it could get worse. I just don't want to tell him just yet. We might be able to sort it all out…or catch and deal with the culprit."

Lisa grinned. "May I throw a hex too?"

Terry rolled his eyes. "Have you told Snape at least?"

I nodded. "He knows about the perfume incident. I haven't told him about this morning though."

Our conversation stopped as we reached the corridor of the Potions classroom. The Slytherins, as usual, had gotten there first. I could see Malfoy near the door, more pale-faced than usual. He seemed oblivious to the chatter going on around him.

I nodded my hello to Hermione, but I didn't bother with Harry. He had quickly turned and pretended to be interested in his books instead. I didn't care; I normally didn't acknowledge Harry when Slytherins were about.

The door opened and Severus appeared. His eyes swept up and down the line before he curtly nodded and gestured with his hand for us to enter.

We filed in silently, no one wanting to be noticed by Severus as a standout. I sat next to Lisa today. Terry must have been feeling charitable since it was Merle's anniversary and had offered to sit next to Anthony, to whom he wasn't speaking much at the moment.

Severus stood in front of his desk and eyed the last couple of people who had taken too long to withdraw their books. The rustling stopped at once when they realised the sneer was for them.

Severus gestured towards a pile of parchments stacked neatly on the desk. "An improvement for _most_ of you, I must say," he said in a voice so low, that some people leaned in to hear him. Severus pointed his wand at it and immediately the pile separated and the parchments began to distribute themselves to their owners. "Some of you managed to make valid points, a vast improvement after the drivel I had to endure earlier on in the term."

There was some uncomfortable shifting around the room. I could see the _E_ on Malfoy's parchment. He tossed it aside as if it was of no real consequence. Hermione however, who was seated in front of me, had also received the same mark and was looking far less tense now.

I also received an E on my essay; I had found the last set of homework rather difficult and certainly hadn't been expecting an O. I had been to Severus about the essay, but hadn't entirely caught on to what he had been talking about.

"We are going to be looking at the Euphoria Elixir today," Severus announced, as the last of the parchments found their owners. "A theory lesson." He began walking around the room, his footsteps alerting the people who hadn't been paying attention. "Let's see if anyone has read ahead. If brewed correctly, what colour will the elixir be?"

A few hands shot up, Hermione's and Lisa's included. Truth be told, I had absolutely no idea. I was sure I had looked at this elixir with Severus over the summer, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what it even looked like. I began to feel nervous.

Severus didn't seem to care that my hand wasn't up. I often didn't put it up because I didn't want to seem a know it all.

"Miss Turpin?" Severus nodded at her as he passed.

"Yellow, sir," she answered. "Sunshine yellow, I think."

He nodded. "Correct." He stopped at the front of the room again and looked around. "Why sunshine yellow?"

This time a few more hands went up than before.

"Mr Malfoy?" Severus asked.

Malfoy looked startled; his hand hadn't even been up. He gave Severus an annoyed look, which my brother returned with a raised eyebrow.

"It's sunshine yellow," Malfoy said slowly, "because it's a colour that implies cheerfulness, which _is_ the point considering the purpose of the potion."

It was a pretty good answer considering he hadn't been prepared. But then, Malfoy had never been too bad at Potions.

Severus looked satisfied. "Correct. Open your text and read pages two hundred and seventeen to two hundred and twenty. After that you will be closing your books and we will be having a discussion about the elixir, it properties and the implications of taking it, both positive and negative. Begin."

We all hastily picked up our books and began to read. I tried to drill the information into my mind in case Severus called on me for an answer. He generally didn't; it would be just as embarrassing for him to have his sister not know the answer. I wanted to be prepared all the same.

We read and reread for about twenty minutes, by which time I had memorised the basic properties of the elixir, its ingredients and some of the wand movements. I was pretty certain that we had made this potion over the summer. I was pretty sure though, that Severus had added peppermint to that one…maybe it had been a different potion because nothing about peppermint was mentioned in the text.

Severus looked up from his desk. "Close your books." He stood and began to walk around the room again. "We shall begin our discussion. Any thoughts on the elixir in general?"

Terry raised his hand.

"Mr Boot?"

"I was wondering, sir, if this elixir could be made to different strengths. Wouldn't it depend upon exactly how happy the person would want to feel? Would it be a matter of changing the strength of the potion or calculating how much of it is to be taken?"

Severus nodded, his eyes fixed on Terry. I could tell that he was impressed by what Terry had said, not that he was likely to show it. "A valid point. Would anyone care to venture a response to this?"

No hands went up. The book had only mentioned consuming one teaspoon every five hours, but only for the duration of a day or two. It hadn't mentioned being able to change the strength of the potion.

I looked up from staring at the cover of the book to find my brother's eyes roaming about the room, waiting for someone to contribute. When they rested on me, his expression changed ever so slightly. He expected me to answer. Had I asked him the same question over the holidays? Clearly he thought I knew the answer.

I shook my head slightly. I didn't know.

He looked away immediately. "Well then." He nodded at Terry. "Thank you, Mr Boot, your discussion point has now become homework."

The groaning around the room stopped when Severus looked up sharply. "Three feet on the point Mr Boot presented today. Research and discuss whether the ingredients used can be altered to change the strength of the elixir and the effects if the amount consumed is changed. We shall be brewing the elixir in our double session tomorrow."

Terry, who was now a similar colour to the beetroot colour Mandy had been that morning, was doing his best to ignore the glares sent his way from around the room.

"Side effects?" Severus asked. "Mr Macmillan?"

"Excessive singing and nose-tweaking, sir," said Ernie promptly.

"What about additives?" Severus went on, giving Anthony, who was still glaring at Terry, a particularly scornful glare. "Any thoughts on possible ingredients that could be added in an attempt to decrease or diminish the side effects?" He looked around the room and found only one hand up. "Very well, Miss Granger?"

"Perhaps armadillo bile would make a difference, sir," she suggested. "If it's a vital ingredient in wit-sharpening potions, it may stop or at least tone down the excessive singing."

"Perhaps," Severus said indifferently, "but it wouldn't matter too much because the horrid stomach ache that would occur would prove a much unwanted distraction. Armadillo bile does not mix well with dried nettles, which are an essential part of the Euphoria Elixir."

Hermione looked disappointed.

Severus looked around the room once more. "Any other suggestions?"

When no more hands went up, he caught my gaze again. He thought I knew. _Was_ it the peppermint he was referring to? I didn't want to take the chance. I shook my head slightly again.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, but looked away. I had the strong suspicion that I'd be re-educated on the Euphoria Elixir later that evening.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

As it turned out, I didn't end up seeing Severus that evening. He had insisted that we have dinner together, since I hadn't wanted to do anything else to mark the day. Instead, he ended up being called by You-Know-Who shortly before dinner. I hadn't had a chance to see him before dinner because I'd had a violin lesson with Flitwick.

I ate dinner in the Great Hall with my friends as usual. It seemed Terry and Lisa were determined to make the evening a pleasant one for my sake. Terry was full of more jokes than usual, and trifle was served for dessert, which was something the house elves didn't normally make. Seeing as I saw pudding everywhere else, I suspected that Terry, who often snuck down to the kitchen, had asked the house elves for it.

As nice as dinner was with my friends, I was growing more uncomfortable with the discussion going on around me. Mandy had decided to share her problems not only with Anthony, but with all the other people in our year. As a result, there was much discussion going on as to who the culprit could be. I was heartened as I overheard Michael, Stephen and Padma insisting that there was no way it could be me, but I didn't enjoy the calculating looks sent in my direction.

I made sure I went back up to Ravenclaw Tower with my friends after dinner; I didn't want to see any more of Merle that day. I was tired, but I wanted to study the Euphoria Elixir before I went to bed. I didn't want to make mistakes in Double Potions the following morning.

For a change, Lisa and Terry were keen to play a game in the common room that evening, but I was more intent on studying. To keep them happy, especially since I could tell they were trying very hard to make it a nice evening for me, I played a couple of games of gobstones with them before talking them into revising the elixir with me.

"I don't know why you're worried about it," said Terry, after we met down in the common room and retrieving our books. "You're always confident in Potions, well, since Snape started privately tutoring you in it."

"It doesn't mean I'm naturally good at it," I pointed out, something which I often told my brother.

"You held off answering some questions today," Lisa said, sitting down.

Terry nodded. "Yeah, Snape looked at you a couple of times."

I didn't answer. I opened my book. "You're doing the quiz questions first, Terry. Hard ones."

"Yeah, okay," he murmured, finding his page. "I'm good at coming up with work. I caused Snape to give us more work today."

"Nah," I said, shaking my head. "He would have had that in mind anyway. He probably appreciated you bringing up that point so he could look like a git."

Lisa laughed. "You say that so affectionately."

I rolled my eyes and began to read.

An hour later we were far less enthusiastic and feeling very tired. All three of us had stopped with the questions, convinced we knew the elixir inside out, and were talking about nothing of importance. I was considering going to bed so I would have plenty of energy for Potions in the morning.

By nine, much of the common room had cleared out. The Sixth and Seventh year prefects were herding the remaining First and Seconds years off to bed, as was Flitwick's rule.

Just as we heard the doors belonging to the First and Second year dorms closing, two owls flew in through the open window, weighed down by a rather large package. I was surprised when they came right to me, happily plonking themselves down on the table in front of us. Lisa hastily conjured up a tray of water for them, whilst I cast a security charm before releasing them of their burden.

I recognised the two owls. I knew the snowy one was called Judith.

"It's from Matilda," I murmured.

"She remembered the day then," Terry said quietly, stroking Judith.

I noticed that many eyes were upon us, curious to see what the package was.

"Come on," I said to Lisa, getting up. "I'll open it upstairs."

"Aw," said Terry, looking disappointed.

"You can see the owls out, Terry," said Lisa pleasantly, giving him a look.

Terry smirked. "Certainly, sweetums."

"Yuck," I shuddered. "Goodnight, Terry."

Terry waved. "Night, Milly!"

I walked up to the dorm alone, letting Lisa say her own goodnight to Terry. She caught up with me as I reached the door and I was glad to find the room empty.

There was a scent coming from the package. "I think she's sent flowers," I said, sitting down on my bed. "Probably daffodils…Merle's favourite."

Sure enough, inside the package was a huge bunch of daffodils, complete with details about how often to apply a freshening charm. Matilda had sent a simple _Thinking of You_ note with it. I was grateful she hadn't written a long, heart-felt letter about her memories of Merle. I wasn't in the mood for that at the moment.

"They're beautiful," said Lisa. "I'll transfigure a vase for you."

"No, I'll put them in the wardrobe," I said, standing up.

Lisa gave me a strange look. "Why?"

"I don't want to display flowers in here," I said quickly. "I'll put them in the wardrobe and then access them from my bedroom in the dungeons."

Lisa shrugged, but opened my wardrobe door all the same. "Your choice."

"Ooh, flowers!" said a voice. We turned and saw Padma in the doorway. "They're nice, Mill. Who are they from?"

"A friend," I said quietly. "A friend of Merle's."

Padma's smile faded. "Oh, sorry. Has it…-" She paused, looking like she was working something out. "Merlin, has it been a year already since she passed away?"

I nodded.

"A year today," said Lisa.

Padma shook her head. "Time flies."

"Something smells in here." Mandy appeared in the doorway, Ruby just behind her.

"Oh, they're pretty," said Ruby, as they made their way into the room. She gave me a silly grin. "What's the occasion, Armilla?"

Mandy folded her arms and gave me a mocking smile. "Secret admirer then?"

I shook my head. "No."

Ruby giggled. "So there _is_ a boyfriend then!"

Padma scowled at her. "Boyfriends aren't the only people who send flowers, Ruby."

"Why so secretive then?" Mandy was staring at me.

"They're from an elderly friend," I said evenly. "Nothing worth gossiping about."

Ruby frowned. "But why send you flowers?"

Padma shook her head "Isn't it obvious? It's a year ago today that Merle died."

"Merle?" Ruby repeated.

"Her guardian-" Mandy said hastily, "-erm _old_ guardian, remember?"

"Oh," said Ruby, looking guilty. "Yeah." She gave me a nervous smile. "Sorry, Armilla."

I shrugged. I shook my head at Lisa, who closed my wardrobe door. The others didn't know about the wardrobe connection and they'd think it odd if I put the flowers in there.

"I'll transfigure that vase then," said Lisa, picking up a hairpin.

While I watched Lisa transfiguring the pin, a speciality of hers, I noticed that Mandy was watching the flowers. I looked over at her, trying to read her expression. All I could tell was that she didn't appear very happy now. As our eyes met she hastily looked away and began busying herself with preparing for bed.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Get started then," Severus ordered. "You have this morning's session to complete it."

I watched as Severus sat down at his desk and began organising some parchments. He looked a little tired to me. I wondered what time he'd gotten back to Hogwarts the night before.

There came the sound of scraping seats as people hurried to set up their cauldrons and collect ingredients. Before long, the only sound in the room was from the chopping of ingredients and the bubbling of cauldrons.

I concentrated hard on what I was doing, determined to have this potion perfect. I pushed the ghostly Merle, who I'd seen that morning once again, to the back of my mind.

After half an hour had gone by, Severus began to roam the room to inspect the progress at each cauldron.

"Too thin, Potter," he stated, when he reached Harry's cauldron. "You've added a few to many nettles."

Harry frowned as he peered into the cauldron. Instead of telling Harry how to rectify the problem, Severus simply moved on to the next cauldron. He only stopped when something wasn't quite right. Generally when Severus couldn't find fault, he'd simply move on without comment.

I didn't hear him approaching my cauldron. I was too busy trying to work out why the potion hadn't turned the lime colour indicated in the text. What was wrong with it? I couldn't get this wrong.

Severus, perhaps by habit, made to simply walk on by my workbench, but he paused when he saw the colour of my potion, which was now more of a forest green. He frowned slightly and then stared at the chopped palm leaves on the chopping board.

Realising that I'd forgotten them, I hastily put them in and Severus turned and walked away, clearly not wanting to draw attention to what had just happened.

I felt a pain in my stomach. How could I have forgotten to add the palm leaves? They had been right in front of me. How could I have been so stupid? The potion was turning a brighter green and was close to being described as lime, but it certainly wasn't the exact colour of the picture in the text.

Severus did another walk around fifteen minutes later, stopping more often this time. Some people, tired of concentrating, had started making silly mistakes. I feared that I was one of them. By now the potion should have begun turning bright yellow; mine was gold. On top of that, I was feeling positively queasy.

When Severus reached me again, he was sure to stop this time. He didn't frown at all this time when he saw the potion. His hand brushed my forearm as he made to walk on and I noticed that his index finger was making circular motions…anticlockwise. I had been stirring clockwise! I glanced at the text's instructions. Sure enough, it said anticlockwise.

By the lesson's end, I had produced a Euphoria Elixir of sorts, but it was more of a buttercup yellow than sunshine yellow. I felt so embarrassed. What hadn't I concentrated harder? I had studied last evening. I had gotten plenty of sleep. There was no reason as to why the elixir was the colour it was…a colour that caused me to avoid my brother's eye when I left it on his desk.

"Wait behind," he said quietly, as the other students moved out of earshot.

Damn.

"Have your friends wait too."

I looked back at him. My friends? Why?

We finished packing up and the bell went, signalling break. As everyone forwarded out, I gestured for my friends to stay behind with me. They complied, but not before giving me apprehensive looks.

Severus closed the door with a flick of his wand before casting a soundproofing charm.

"I haven't the time to go into this now because I have a meeting with the Headmaster," he said, looking at me before addressing himself to my friends. "But it is important that neither of you leave Armilla by herself in the castle until I give further instructions. Is that clear?"

Terry and Lisa looked startled at the instruction, seemingly given without foundation, but they nodded their assent all the same.

"Yes, sir," they said in unison.

Severus nodded curtly, before waving his wand to open the door again. "Very well. Dismissed."

Terry and Lisa didn't need to be told twice. They immediately turned and headed for the door, waiting for me there.

I looked at Severus, waiting for him to look at me.

He shook his head at me. "Not now," he said firmly. "I'll see you after classes today. Remember my instructions. Go. Your friends are waiting for you."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

I ended up having a ghastly day after that. It was like I had lost confidence. I hadn't known the answer to one of the questions Slughorn had asked me in Defence, and Flitwick had seemed rather perturbed when I had trouble with one of the charms we had been studying for the past two lessons. I just hoped that the teachers wouldn't mention anything to Severus. That was the problem with having a brother on staff. Anything out of the ordinary I did in class wasn't likely to remain private.

It wasn't like I could avoid Severus; I always went down to the dungeons on a Friday evening and stayed the night.

I didn't go there immediately after classes. I wanted to get my nicer stationary parchment from my trunk so I could write a thankyou note to Matilda for Morag to take later. I checked my chocolate frog card on the way up.

_Come down to the dungeons before dinner if you can. Have Miss Turpin escort you to the portrait._

My friends, to their credit, hadn't spoken much about the instruction Severus had given them that morning. I was reluctant to discuss it anyway, seeing as I thought it must be related to Merle, something which I hadn't told my friends about yet.

It seemed such an effort to get up the stairs to my dorm. I felt exhausted.

"You know," Lisa said, pushing open the door to our dorm. "I'm so tired that I might just do _nothing_ this evening."

I laughed. "That's unlike you."

We made our way over to our own areas to put our things away. Mandy, Padma and Ruby were already there. I was surprised that all three of them greeted us when we came in. It seemed Mandy was over her silent treatment.

"You'll regret it though," I said to Lisa, opening my trunk. "You'll get up tomorrow and realise how big your workload is."

"Yeah, I suppose," she said, flopping down on her bed. She stretched. "Actually, I think I might just spend the rest of the night right here. Are you going down to the dungeons, Mill?"

I barely heard her. Someone had been through my trunk. I could tell because some of the stuff that had fallen to the bottom was now resting on top.

My wooden Ravenclaw jewellery box, which had been a posthumous gift for my sixteenth birthday from Merle, was out of its wrapping and was wedged into a corner. I reached in and picked it up, noticing that there were some new scratches around the etching of the Raven on the lid. I opened it up, not feeling confident that the little Rowena Ravenclaw would be there conducting a melody. She was indeed there, though she was completely bent over. A noise could be heard coming from the box, but it was more of a muffled tinkling sound than a melody.

For some reason I didn't feel anger; I wasn't sure what the feeling was. Someone had ruined the last gift I'd received from Merle. How could I have forgotten to take it out of my trunk? I should have kept it in the dungeons or at the Merrigan Estate.

Lisa sat up when she heard the sound, frowning at the box in my hand. "That doesn't sound healthy."

"No, it doesn't," I said quietly, closing the lid. "Someone's been through my trunk."

Ruby and Padma knelt down on either side of me to get a better look at the box. Ruby reached out and ran a finger over the scratches on the lid.

"Were they already there or was that done recently?" she asked.

I shook my head. "It didn't have scratches until today."

"We're going to have to tell Flitwick," said Padma, standing up. "This can't go on." She turned and left the room.

"I agree," said Lisa. "That box is very special. It's disgusting to think that someone would break it on purpose."

I couldn't bring myself to look at Mandy. I supposed I understood how she felt now…not sure who to blame. It seemed strange to think that she might have done it.

"I need to go," I said, grabbing the stationary I needed and wrapping it around the box.

"Armilla-" Lisa said, looking upset.

I forced a smile back at her, moving towards the door. She immediately got the hint and came with me, remembering her instruction.

I turned and left, moving as fast as I could, Lisa behind me. The empty feeling I'd had was turning into anger and I didn't want to explode right there in the dorm.

I hurried as fast as I could to the dungeons, reciting potions ingredients in my head just for good measure in case Merle decided to show up. It wasn't likely, considering Lisa was with me, but the way my day had been, it would be just my luck if she did show up.

My quick movements also made it clear to Lisa that I wasn't in the mood to talk about what had just happened. Besides telling me to slow down at one point, she didn't say anything else.

I thanked her when I reached the portrait and promised that I would see her the following evening.

I went inside and found that our quarters were empty. I went to my bedroom, determined to have a go at repairing the box.

Morag, who was sporting the exact colour of lime green that my elixir should have been, hooted and flapped her wings in greeting.

"Bet your day has been better than mine," I grumbled, as I opened the door of her cage. She immediately hopped out and took off, soaring around the room three times before settling on top of the armoire, her favourite spot.

I sat down on my bed and removed the parchment from around the box. I wasn't sure if it could be repaired. Sighing, I took out my wand and began casting all the repairing charms I knew. I managed to lessen the depth of the scratches on the lid, but it seemed the little Rowena Ravenclaw inside was intent on staying bent over.

I was probably a bit foolish for attempting it in the first place. The magic in the box was so old that it was unlikely that it would respond to the charms. I gave up after spending a good half hour attempting to mend it.

I had just sent Morag off with my note to Matilda when I heard Severus come in. My insides immediately clenched at the sound of the door closing. I was suddenly reminded of the day that had just passed.

Severus came to stand in the doorway of my bedroom. "What's this about a box of yours?" he asked.

I frowned. "How do you know?"

"I was in the staffroom a short while ago when Miss Patil came knocking on the door in search of Flitwick." He moved into the room and sat down in the armchair next to my bed. "I understand a couple more incidents have taken place since we last spoke?"

"Yes, yesterday and today."

Severus nodded. "Miss Patil gave the particulars to Flitwick, which he relayed to me. What is this about a piece of Miss Brocklehurst's jewellery being in your trunk? Flitwick-"

"I didn't put it there!" I snapped.

"_Armilla_," he said, warningly. "I was going to say that Flitwick has agreed that you are not to blame for any of this."

I let out a hollow laugh. "That's nice of him. I _know_ I'm not to blame."

Severus glared at me. "Keep up this attitude and you _will_ have something to blame yourself for."

I stared back at him, trying to work out how serious he was. Pretty serious, it seemed. He hadn't given me a look like that in a while.

"Flitwick has suggested removing all valuables from the room for the time being," he went on, eyeing me with a stern expression. "He will carry out investigations himself and speak to Ravenclaw House about the issue."

I nodded, looking away.

"Which box is it that needs mending?" he asked.

"The one Merle gave me," I said, handing it to him. "I've already tried mending it. It seems too old to be fixed."

"Indeed," he said, looking closely at it. He opened the box and grimaced at the odd sound that came out. "I think this box should be kept down here from now on."

"It should always have been kept down here," I said bitterly, looking at the box in his hand. "It won't ever be the same again."

"Perhaps not," he said, peering closely at the scratches on the lid, "but one can always try. I'm confident I can remove the scratches, but I'm not so sure about Rowena Ravenclaw and the music. I'm sorry it's broken." He looked up from the box. "How was your day yesterday?"

I shrugged. "Fine. Not great. It's always a great feeling to be accused of something."

"What about Merle?"

"I saw her again, like I always do. I recited potions ingredients, like you told me too. I really didn't need reminding yesterday that it was her anniversary." I shook my head resentfully. "Oh, and Matilda sent me flowers, which was great fun to receive in Ravenclaw because the girls are always looking for reasons to gossip."

"Did you tell them who they were from?"

"Yes, but I shouldn't have had to," I said moodily. "It was none of their business anyway."

Severus opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it, changing his mind.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. Severus continued to examine the box and I continued to stare moodily at the bedspread.

"Peppermint," I said quietly.

He raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking of?"

"Peppermint," I repeated. "It's the additive for the Euphoria Elixir if you want to counteract the excessive singing and nose-tweaking. Is that right?"

He frowned. "It is. Why didn't you say that yesterday?"

"I wasn't sure," I admitted.

"Oh." He went back to examining the box.

Wasn't he going to say anything about what had happened in Potions? I thought I'd be remaking the elixir in his lab by now at his insistence.

Actually, I wasn't sure I was in the mood for potion making at the moment. I did know what I _was_ in the mood for.

"Can we duel?"

"I'm not sure you're in the right frame of mind for duelling, Armilla," Severus replied, not looking up.

"What _is_ the right frame of mind?"

He looked up and gave me an appraising look. "Touché."

Less than five minutes later we were out in the sitting room, wands at the ready. I was trying not to think about the fact that Severus hadn't brought Potions up yet. Maybe he was biding his time. Maybe I'd spend the weekend making potions…

Severus struck without warning, something I was rather used to and I concentrated on putting my mental shield up. Once I had blocked a few hexes, I focused instead on trying to cast my own hexes whilst maintaining the shield.

There seemed to be a problem pretty early on. I seemed to have gone backwards. The progress I'd made recently seemed virtually non-existent. Instead of trying to cast my own hexes, it was all I could do to steady my mental shield.

"I don't know why I can't do it," I said breathlessly, when Severus stopped. "All I can do is hold up the shield."

Severus didn't look surprised at all. Rather, the expression he was wearing seemed to imply that he'd been expecting this. "You won't be making any progress for the time being," he said quietly, putting hid wand away and sitting down on the sofa.

"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

"I mean your magic is not what it should be." Severus shook his head. "I came to that conclusion this morning."

Now I felt bad. "I was having an off day," I said earnestly. "I'm sorry. I studied last night. I went to bed on time. I don't know what happened today. I've never felt that way before."

"Yes, exactly," he said at once. "What about your performance in Charms, Transfiguration and Defence?"

Now it was my turn to shake my head. I looked away. "I _knew_ they'd tell you."

He waved a hand aside. "They told me out of concern, Armilla. It's not like you to be mediocre in class."

I looked back at him. "_Thanks_."

Severus shook his head, glaring slightly. "If you will stop being defensive for a moment, I will attempt to explain my thoughts on this."

I was silent. Severus waited until I made eye contact with him.

"I thought nothing of your reluctance to participate during Potions yesterday," he said. "Apart from the fact that it was Merle's anniversary, it is entirely possible to have moments when knowledge you do possess completely escapes you. I concluded yesterday that that is what happened."

"You're not normally so forgiving in class," I commented, though I was relieved that he was indifferent.

"No, I'm not," he said simply. "I would have moved passed it, if not for the fact you seemed unsure of yourself during Potions this morning, and a visit to your cauldron proved you had reason to be."

"I don't know what happened."

"I know." He didn't seem angry at all. He wasn't telling me to get my book out and start again.

"I thought I'd be remaking the elixir by now," I said quietly.

He inclined his head. "If I'd thought the errors were due to a lack of study or proper concentration then you most certainly would be."

Ah. So he thought something else was going on.

"One could conclude that your performance in your classes today could have been a result of a lack of concentration due to what happened in your dorm this morning. However, I do not believe that to be the case."

"No?"

He shook his head. "I noticed that the last time I duelled with you that your magic was not what it should have been. Your teachers reported that you have taken a little longer than you normally do to conquer new spells. You apparently hadn't noticed that many others in your class who are normally behind you kept up to speed with you for once."

I didn't say anything. I felt horrible.

"It's not your fault, Armilla," Severus said slowly. He paused. He seemed to be thinking very how about what he was about to say. "I cannot be entirely certain about this, but I believe I know what is causing this to happen."

I nodded. "Merle?"

He nodded. "I believe so. Nothing else in your life has dramatically changed and Madam Pomfrey and I can detect no illness in you that would cause a decline in your magic."

"A decline in my magic?" I repeated. "You mean it's going to keep going backwards?"

"Armilla, at the moment this is merely conjecture." He sighed. "I am of the opinion that the purpose of this ghostly Merle is to drain your magic."

Now I was alarmed. "Will it come back in time?" I didn't want to become a squib!

"That's open to speculation."

Severus was being remarkably calm about all this. That should have been enough to convince me not to worry, but how could I not?

"In any case," he continued, his voice suddenly sounding harsh. "You are _not_ from now on, under any circumstances, to be alone outside these rooms at any time."

I nodded, slightly put off by the severity of his tone.

"I don't care if it makes you late for classes, or you miss out on anything, as long as you are _never _alone."

"This means I'll have to tell my friends the reason behind it."

He nodded. "That's fine. We'll keep monitoring if this thing becomes frustrated and eventually shows up in front of other people."

"I doubt that it will." I sighed. "I'm far more worried about my magic. I don't want to be mediocre the rest of my life."

"I'm determined you won't be," Severus said. His voice held an edge to it for some reason. "I will start looking into how it can be restored as soon as possible. Just keep in mind that I am taking precautions due to the conclusion I've drawn…I cannot be certain if I am indeed correct about this. It may turn out that you're indeed having an off week…I just don't think that's likely."

I stared back at him. "I thought lost magic can rarely be restored. You either have it or you don't. Isn't that right?"

He nodded. "Generally. But in this case I believe the magic has been taken from your body by force. I am hoping to find a way to reverse it. In the meantime, that ghost is to _completely disappear_ from your daily routine."

I nodded, feeling only dread. What if it was a curse that would keep draining my magic whether I saw Merle again or not? Would I eventually become a squib?

o o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Thanks for reading. Reviews are always welcome. Just to reminder: most readers of this story read the first one, and they may remember that small event or incidents which may have seemed insignificant in a chapter sometimes contributed in a much greater way to the overall plot…just because nothing much might appear in a chapter doesn't mean that nothing significant happened. Writing drivel would be a real waste of my time. There also needs to be a balance between the significant things happening and the more light-hearted. This story would become a Mary-Sue if it was _Armilla to the rescue!_ every time something came up. I know the plot well and I am determined to see the story through. I do ask of readers to appreciate what is there and perhaps not be too quick to dismiss what they've read; in many cases I am foreshadowing or developing something – when you've read the end you may go back and say "Oh! So, that's why that happened! It seemed so unimportant at the time."

The next chapter shouldn't be too far away. I wrote a couple of the scenes in the next chapter before I wrote this one. A pivotal (and rather shocking) chapter is coming! Until next time then! Coral Grace.


	21. Unhinged

**Chapter 21**

"I'm hoping I'll get partnered with someone else next time," I told Severus, as we walked along a dungeons corridor, headed for the library. I was meeting Harry to work on our research project.

"Not that I was particularly pleased with the arrangement, but you could have been partnered with someone far worse," Severus replied, his voice low. "Weasley for example…perhaps Miss Brown?"

"I know, but at least either of them would actually talk to me properly." Harry was still very standoffish with me. I supposed every time he saw me or my brother he was reminded of the book he had spent very little time with.

"Potter will get over it," he said indifferently. "He had better put effort into completing the assignment with you."

"He is," I said honestly. "He's done everything required of him so far and he contributes plenty of ideas…it's just…uncomfortable I suppose."

"Well, with any luck, Slughorn won't partner you next time."

Severus was probably right, but for a reason that didn't make me happy.

It was late on a Saturday afternoon on the last day of November. Life had become both easier and harder in the past month. I couldn't quite describe the level of happiness I'd been feeling due to not seeing Merle anymore. I hadn't see her once since Severus had decided that I had to be accompanied everywhere in the castle, except our own quarters of course, which had an entirely different set of wards. It did get on my nerves a little that the only time I was completely alone was when I was in my own bedroom in our quarters, or in the bathroom.

My magic had not gotten any better, but then, it had not gotten any worse either. It frustrated me to no end that I wasn't as strong or quick with spells as I used to be. I could still do a respectable amount of magic for a Sixth Year, but it was far from the standard I had been used to after Severus' training. Severus still insisted on duelling practice; he saw no reason for me to get out of practice, but often it left me feeling depressed that he barely had to put in any effort when he was duelling with me. I could hold up a mental shield, but it was pretty easy to break, which led me back to why I had the feeling that I might not be partnered with Harry next time. Harry's defensive magic was clearly better than mine now, seeing as my magic wasn't as good.

Though Lisa and Terry had seemed more than a little spooked when I had revealed the whole Merle saga to them, they had diligently made sure I had never been alone since. The first week had been a bit uncomfortable with Lisa, seeing as she'd been a bit put off that I hadn't told her earlier, but once Mandy made it known she was in a bad mood, Lisa had been back in good spirits again.

The reason for Mandy's bad mood? Well, Anthony had finally resurfaced from the dream land he'd been living in. It was like he'd seen the light again and realised that there were plenty of other things going on in his life beside Mandy. He had spent the last few weeks trying to get back in Terry, Michael and Stephen's good books, much to Mandy's chagrin, since this meant that he spent less time with her.

The thieving in our dorm had stopped too, at least for now. Flitwick had called a House meeting in our common room the day after Mandy's charm bracelet had been found in my trunk. Flitwick, though he hadn't raised his voice even for a moment, had left the room leaving many shaking knees in his wake; he had made it abundantly clear that he did _not _tolerate such behaviour in The Most Noble House of Ravenclaw.

Though the thieving had stopped, that didn't mean that the problems in our dorm had stopped. Mandy, bitter from Anthony's now divided attention, had become snappy and crass. It was not unusual for her to be awake at midnight on a school night, still discussing petty (in my humble opinion anyway) details of her relationship with Anthony with Ruby. More than once, Padma, Lisa or I had told them to shut up and let us sleep. Quite frankly, I didn't care to discuss whether Anthony's tone had been disinterested, indifferent or too casual when he'd told Mandy that he had plans on Saturday. It all meant the same thing to me.

Not long after the anniversary of Merle's death, the day came that marked the first anniversary since I'd found out who my real mother had been, followed by the day when I'd found out that Severus was my brother. Severus and I hadn't really done much to mark the day; well, Severus had reminded me that I'd been rather bothersome during my stay in the Secret Wing, but other than that, we'd let the day pass like any other. I liked it that way.

Only a week earlier, Severus and I had endured a series of interviews with a couple of workers from the Department of Family Services. We had both been interviewed separately (with Professor Flitwick acting as my chaperone) and then together. It had been tedious question after tedious question which had been easy enough to answer. Finally, the two had left, assured that there was no problem with my placement with Severus.

"I assume Miss Turpin and Mr Boot are going to be studying in the library for the duration of this session?" said Severus, as we reached the Entrance Hall.

"Yes," I answered, looking at my watch. "They should be there now." Lisa and Terry were going to accompany me to the Great Hall for dinner after Harry and I had finished. I couldn't very well tell Harry that he couldn't leave me alone.

"Very well." Severus' voice suddenly rang sharply across the hall. "Need we discuss proper decorum when using the stairs?"

The three Slytherin students, two girls and a boy froze when they heard the voice of their Head of House. They all muttered their most fervent apologies and then walked as quickly at proper etiquette would allow them until they'd disappeared into the Great Hall.

We walked along in silence until we reached the library. When we walked in, I spotted Lisa and Terry at a nearby table, clearly absorbed in some task. They had books stacked across the table. I saw Harry off in the distance, walking down an aisle with a book in his hand.

When Severus saw my friends, he nodded in satisfaction. "Tomorrow afternoon?" he said quietly, turning to take his leave. We generally duelled on a Sunday afternoon.

I nodded. "Yes, I'll come after lunch."

Severus nodded, looking distracted as he looked over the top of my head at something else. I turned to see Draco Malfoy talking to Madam Pince at the Librarian's Desk, or rather, from the looks of it, arguing with her. It seemed that Madam Pince was holding her ground, as a moment later Draco turned around in a huff and headed for the door, right where Severus and I were standing.

"I will see you tomorrow, Armilla," Severus said in a low voice, his expression clearly indicating for me to move away.

I nodded and began to walk towards Harry. I couldn't quite avoid passing Malfoy along the way. Malfoy, upon spotting Severus at the door, had slowed his pace considerably.

"Escorting you about like a child, is he?" he muttered to me as he passed.

I ignored him, hoping Severus would be able to knock some of the arrogance out of him. By the time I had reached the aisle Harry was standing in and turned back, Severus was leaving with Draco following him, looking more ill-tempered than ever.

"It's becoming habit these days to see Malfoy looking like that whenever Snape's around," Harry said, following my gaze.

I shrugged. "How often do you see Malfoy look cheerful anyway?"

"I suppose…" Harry turned back to the nearest row of books. "I've already picked some more out," he said, gesturing to the range of books on the history of defensive spells. "I know we've got our focus now, but-"

"It's good to have some more references," I murmured, scanning the titles.

"Yeah."

Harry and I never spoke of the book incident. It was like I had never seen it, which was fine except for the slightly strained working relationship we now had. We had finally found our focus a couple of weeks back; Harry had initially wanted to look at Severus' Bubble Shield charm, but instead we were now looking at strengthening the impact of hexes cast over a long distance.

"We'll have to practise the hexes we choose to experiment with," Harry said, as we sat down at the table where Harry had already placed a pile of books.

"Mm," I replied, picking up a nearby book. I didn't really want to do magic at the front of the classroom with everyone watching. At the moment, I was sure my magic could handle it, and though I hadn't seen Merle, I was worried that my magic would fail or suddenly lose strength. I didn't want the embarrassment.

Harry and I worked steadily for over an hour, strictly talking of nothing but the assignment at hand. Actually it was amazing how much work we completed as a pair whilst talking so little.

"Here's a book for you," Harry suddenly said, pushing a small, forest green book in my direction.

"_Defensive spells for witches_," I read quietly. "Oh, my father would _love_ this book."

Harry frowned. "Is your…" He stopped and looked away, shaking his head.

"What?"

He shook his head again. "Forget it. It's none of my business."

"Probably not," I agreed. "But what?"

"Your dad," he whispered, barely moving his lips. "Is he…like Snape?"

"No," I said flatly.

"Oh." Harry looked back at his book, and then looked at me again.

"Anything else?" If he was talking to me off the subject of school stuff, even this less than desirable subject, it meant he was on the road to talking normally to me again.

He shook his head. "No…except…" he hesitated. "Well I figured he must be pretty awful."

"You think so?" I said dryly, neither confirming nor denying this.

"Yeah, well, when you came back to…" he gave me a significant look, which I understood that he was referring to Grimmauld Place, "you certainly didn't look like you'd had a good time."

I gave a dry laugh. "Mm. Well I didn't spend a great deal of time with him anyway."

Harry paused, before realisation dawned on him. "Oh yeah," he whispered. "Hermione mentioned something about a governess. That must have been really weird."

"Yeah, Zita Rougier." I shuddered.

"A governess? Really?" Harry shook his head. "Did she actually _teach_ you anything?"

I nodded. "To do the opposite of whatever she taught me."

Harry grinned. "The idea of having someone employed to watch you all the time and…"

"Improve me?" I offered.

He shrugged. "Well, for want of a better word, I suppose." He suddenly laughed.

"What?"

"I was just thinking," he said, closing a book a pushing it away. "It's funny how there are kids in the world who have people employed to bring them up, while there are other kids who are left to bring themselves up."

"Orphans, you mean?" I said quietly, "or kids who rarely see their parents when they're young?"

Again, he shrugged. "I don't know." He opened up a book and suddenly looked a little too interested in it.

I shook my head. "Moving on," I muttered, taking the hint and picking up a book myself. "Good to have you back."

He paused and looked over at me. "Good to have me back?"

"Talking to me properly again, I mean."

He had the grace to look guilty. "Yeah, well…"

"Forget explaining anything," I said, indifferently, "that'll just make things uncomfortable again. Let's just move on."

"Love to," he said, nodding.

We read in silence for a couple of minutes.

"So," Harry said, conversationally. "Dug up any mysterious books lately?"

I elbowed him. "Shut up."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

By Friday of the following week I was feeling happier than I had in ages. There was no Merle, working with Harry had become far easier and I was finally able to play a song on my violin without error. True, it was a rather simple song - a wizarding nursery rhyme actually, but all the same I had finally managed it.

Severus had been really pleased that I'd mastered the song and had suggested that, as celebration, I should never play the song again. Perhaps he had heard the nursery rhyme coming from my bedroom a few too many times.

The only thing that was on my mind constantly at the moment was what to get Severus for Christmas. It was only the first week of December, but considering that I was solely reliant on owl ordered gifts at the moment, I knew I had to order the present sooner rather than later. Then, before I knew it, Severus' birthday would have arrived.

"Didn't we talk about this last year?" Lisa complained as we headed for the third floor girls' bathroom after classes on Friday. Terry had finally agreed to spend quality time with Anthony Goldstein and the other Ravenclaw boys. Apparently they were having some sort of games night. Severus had agreed to me spending the night in Ravenclaw Tower so Lisa and I could spend time together, as I normally spent Friday nights in the dungeons. Instead, I was going to stay over on Saturday night.

"Yes," I answered. "Not that the two of you were very helpful at the time."

Lisa laughed. "Then why call upon me again?"

I looked over at her. "Because I'm desperate."

"Thank you."

"Seriously," I said, as we overtook a crowd of Gryffindor first years who were giggling over some inane magazine one of them held, "He's always been spot on when it's come to selecting gifts for me…why can't I think of something for him?"

"Well," Lisa pondered, "it's either because he knows you better than you know _him_, or because he already _has_ everything…or both."

"Mm, very helpful."

Lisa shook her head. "I bet he has a million books-"

"He does indeed. How did you guess?"

"-And I think buying him a really nice quill is a little too grandmotherly."

"Hold on. _He_ bought _me_ a Lefties quill."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "That's because you were driving him crazy with your ink splodges."

"Yeah, but-"

"And that wasn't a Christmas gift or birthday gift, remember? You got it that day when we went to Hogsmeade and you weren't allowed to go." Lisa stopped as we walked inside the deserted bathroom. "Besides, you don't really want to get him a quill, do you?"

I sighed, shaking my head, walking into the stall. "No, of course not."

"Maybe you should get him to keep a wish list throughout the year."

"Good thinking. I'm not sure he'd agree though."

I'd finished washing my hands before Lisa had emerged from her stall. I stood, my arms folded, examining the cracks on the ceiling.

"Hello again, dear."

My head snapped back down to eye level as I heard that dreaded voice. Merle.

There she was again, smiling cheerfully at me. I had never hated that smile so much. I was _not_ going to talk to her.

"I made a pie earlier," Merle said, nodding at me. "I used that recipe Shar found."

"Hurry up, Lisa," I called.

"There's no time limit, Mill," I heard her grumble.

"You're _needed_, Lisa."

"What? _Oh_." Realisation must have dawned on her from the tone of my voice. "Okay, I'm coming."

I sighed as I turned to the mirror.

What was _that_? The mirror was reflecting something in the place where Merle currently occupied, but it wasn't clear. There was a blurry silhouette of some kind.

"What the…" I muttered, staring from Merle to the blur in the mirror.

Lisa emerged from the stall, and, as expected, there was now no Merle or blur in sight. Lisa looked around. "_She was here_?" she mouthed.

I nodded absently, my mind stuck on the blur I had seen. Well, that was a development. Real ghosts didn't create blurry reflections.

Lisa suddenly put her hands over her face. "Oh, I'm going to be in so much trouble!" she wailed. "He's going to _kill_ me."

I frowned at her. "What are you going on about?"

Lisa took her hands down. "_Snape_," she hissed. "I left you alone. I promised I wouldn't."

I shook my head. "It was only a few seconds. It wasn't your fault."

She didn't look convinced.

"We need to go down to the dungeons before we go up to Ravenclaw Tower," I said, as she moved forward to wash her hands.

She looked back at me, alarmed. "Uh, how about you get Terry to go with you?"

"He's _not_ going to kill you, Lisa," I said impatiently. "This is really important."

"Fine," she huffed, turning the tap off with more force than necessary. "But I'll wait outside."

"Suit yourself."

We made our way down to the dungeons a little more slowly than I would have liked. Lisa, never one to dawdle, had suddenly found a liking for a leisurely pace.

"Wait here then," I said quietly, as the portrait that concealed our quarters swung open. I opened the door and was relieved to find Severus sitting at the table. He was absorbed in some mail, the usual frown of concentration on his face.

"Good afternoon," he said, without looking up, as I closed the door. "I thought you were spending the evening with Miss Turpin."

"I am. She's just outside."

Severus looked up, his frown deepening. "Armilla, it's not polite to leave friends outside one's front door."

I returned the frown, as I walked over to the table. "I _know_ that. She…uh…doesn't want to come in at the moment."

"I see," he said, though the look he gave me clearly said that he didn't.

"I came to see you because something both good and bad happened at the same time."

"So a rather neutral experience then?" he said dryly. "Go on."

"I just saw Merle," I said, sitting down.

Severus' face darkened. "Shall I summon Miss Turpin now or is there more to tell me?"

"It wasn't Lisa's fault," I said hastily. "We were just in the third floor bathroom. I came out before she did and while I was waiting for her, Merle appeared."

"Did she speak to you?" Severus looked furious.

I nodded. "Yes, but I ignored her. I did see something interesting though. When I looked in the mirror, Merle's reflection wasn't there."

"I am not surprised, Armilla," he said indifferently, "if I can't find this ghostly Merle in your memories, then I would have been shocked if she'd had a reflection. There are means of trapping reflections and I'm sure the person behind Merle's appearance would _not_ want that to happen."

"But there was a blur in her place."

Severus stared at me, a little shocked after all, it would seem.

"A _blur_?" he repeated. "Be a little more specific."

"It wasn't quite in the shape of Merle," I went on. "But it definitely took up the space the ghost occupied. It wasn't quite black, just very dark shades."

Severus didn't say anything for a moment. He looked very interested. "Well," he said finally. "This _is _a development." He took out his wand. "Do you mind if I took a look?"

I shook my head. "I'm hoping it'll be there for you to see."

"Very well. _Legilimens!_"

Memories suddenly flowed into the front of my mind, with memories from that day being most prominent. A second later I saw the memory of what had just happened. I saw Merle and I saw the blur. I prayed Severus had seen it too.

"Well?" I asked hopefully, a moment later when Severus had ended the spell. "What did you see?"

"I didn't see Merle," he answered, pocketing his wand, "but I _did_ see the blur."

I smiled in relief. "What do you think about it?"

He shook his head. "It requires further investigation. It's too early to draw conclusions as to what it means."

"But how is it supposed to be investigated if I can't see Merle?" It was too much of a risk to my magic.

"Exactly," he said, nodding. He stood up. "I'm going to see the Headmaster about this."

I was suddenly glad Lisa had taken longer than me. I would never have seen this blur otherwise.

Severus opened the door and stepped back to allow me to exit first.

Lisa was leaning against the wall, looking most forlorn. She looked a little reassured when she saw me, but the trepidation returned to her face when she saw Severus come out after me.

"Miss Turpin," said Severus, nodding at her as the portrait swung closed. "Had a pleasant afternoon?"

Lisa's voice wavered as she answered. "Not…not really, sir."

We followed Severus down the corridor. Lisa looked at me, her eyes wide, clearly wanting to know if I had told Severus.

"Don't concern yourself, Miss Turpin," Severus said, looking back over his shoulder. "I think this is something you and Armilla shall have to work out between yourselves in order to avoid it in future."

Lisa looked back at him as if he had sprouted another head.

We walked in silence all the way up to the corridor where we were to go on separate paths.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Severus said to me, "unless I require your presence earlier." He gave me a significant look.

I nodded, knowing to check my chocolate frog card more than once that evening.

"He let me off," Lisa murmured, more to herself than to me as we headed towards Ravenclaw Tower. "He let me _off_."

I shook my head. "Well he couldn't very well berate you for taking longer in the loo than I did."

Lisa laughed. "Would have been pretty funny."

I smiled over at her. "Oh, _now_ you're all light hearted about it."

She shrugged, as we rounded the corner. "Now that I know he's not going to kill me."

We stopped short as we nearly ran into Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. Pansy had one arm linked in Malfoy's and the other hand was holding onto him as if afraid he would disappear. Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind them, looking like buffoons as usual. Malfoy and Pansy were looking at us with the sneers we were more than accustomed to.

"Kill you, Turpin?" drawled Malfoy, smirking at her. "Boot's had enough of you, has he?"

"Mind your own business, Malfoy," Lisa said coldly, trying to move past him, as Crabbe and Goyle roared with laughter. Malfoy moved to block her, clearly wanting to antagonise her.

"Perhaps he's got eyes for Armilla now," Pansy said in a sing song voice. "He wants a good Potions mark and being with Armilla is the only way to get it."

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to say anything I would no doubt mean, but regret later when Severus found out.

"Are you in Advanced Potions, Pansy?" Lisa asked her, looking truly interested. "Oh, _that's_ right, you're not. I'm pretty sure a Troll mark denies you membership of that class."

Pansy's round face suddenly lived up to the pug-look for which she was famous outside of Slytherin House. "Careful, Turpin," she said acidly. "I wouldn't go around saying things like that in times like these."

Lisa opened her mouth to retort, but Malfoy cut her off. "You're awfully quiet," he said to me. "Nothing to say?"

"To what?" I said, sounding completely disinterested. "Are we finished here?"

He stared at me for a moment, before looking at Pansy and nodding like a true aristocrat.

The four of them pushed past us and just as Lisa and I looked at each other to share the _What_ _insufferable idiots_ look, we heard a screech from behind us.

We turned around in a flash to see Pansy clutching her elbow. "Ow!"

Malfoy drew his wand and pointed it at us, causing Lisa and I to whip our own wands out.

"Who hexed her?" he demanded, as Crabbe and Goyle finally fished out their own wands.

"As you _just_ saw," I said dryly, "we just took them out."

Malfoy glared at me. "Who knows if _you_ can do wandless magic, being Snape's sister and all."

"Neither of us hexed her, Malfoy," said Lisa, looking furious.

The look Malfoy gave her was a sure sign that he thought her a complete idiot. "Do you see anyone else here, Turpin?"

Lisa suddenly paled.

"I think she _does_," came a brusque voice.

The four Slytherins whipped around. Professor McGonagall was regarding all of us with a most displeased look.

I had to admit, it didn't bode well for any of us. Five of us were standing there in the deserted corridor with our wands drawn, while the sixth was still clutching her elbow.

"My office," said McGonagall curtly. "Wands away. Follow me." She turned on her heel and began to walk.

Lisa shook her head at Malfoy as she pocketed her wand. He looked back at us, completely unconcerned, before turning and walking in front of us with Pansy and his cronies.

The walk to McGonagall's office seemed to take forever. I dreaded running into Severus along the way. Seeing Lisa and I trailing after the Head of Gryffindor with four of his Slytherins would certainly not make his day. It was nonsense, of course, to think that he would have already finished speaking with Dumbledore. He'd probably just arrived at the Headmaster's office.

"Inside, please," said McGonagall crisply, as she held open her office door for us. She closed the door with a snap once all six of us were standing in front of her desk.

Lisa looked petrified; I wasn't sure why. Yes, we'd had our wands out, but purely in self defence. Malfoy had drawn his first.

McGonagall sat down at her desk and looked at each of us in turn. "I suppose there is a good explanation for this?" she asked finally. She gazed at Pansy, looking rather unsympathetic in my opinion. "The elbow, Miss Parkinson?"

"One of them hexed me!" Pansy exclaimed, pointing at Lisa and I.

"We did not!" Lisa retorted.

"Silence, Miss Turpin!" McGonagall snapped. "You will have your turn."

Lisa closed her mouth and folded her arms, looking positively furious.

McGonagall turned back to Pansy. "Miss Parkinson? Did you see one of these young ladies hex you?"

"Yes," said Pansy at once, nodding vigorously.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow at her. "Which one?"

Pansy looked from Lisa to me. "Turpin," she said finally. "It was _definitely_ her."

Lisa looked outraged, but a look from McGonagall prevented her from saying anything.

"_Definitely_ Miss Turpin?" McGonagall repeated, looking most interested. "A moment ago, you pointed at the two of them and claimed that _one_ of them had hexed you, and it seemed you weren't sure which _one_ it was. It is rather foolish, in my opinion, to change your claim, Miss Parkinson." She regarded Pansy again with a rather foreboding expression. "I ask you again, did you _see_ either of these young ladies hex you?"

Pansy opened her mouth and then closed it again, quite possibly, in my opinion, the only intelligent thing she had done that day.

"I'll take that as a no." McGonagall looked at Malfoy. "Well, Mr Malfoy? An explanation, if you please."

Malfoy looked back at her indifferently. "We turned around," he said lazily, "Pansy got hexed somehow. Who knows?" He nodded in our direction. "More than likely one of them did it. Can't be sure which one. I just drew my wand to defend myself."

"Mm." McGonagall gazed back at him sternly. She looked at me. "Miss Snape?"

"We ran into them on our way to Ravenclaw Tower, Professor," I told her. "We had words and then went our own ways, but somehow Pansy got hexed. It wasn't Lisa or I. We drew our wands because Malfoy drew his. We were defending ourselves."

McGonagall nodded. "Thank you." She turned to Lisa. "Anything to add to that, Miss Turpin?"

"Only that I resent being accused," Lisa said quietly. "Otherwise, no."

McGonagall stood up. "I don't suppose the two of you can offer any information of use?" she asked, addressing herself to Crabbe and Goyle.

They mumbled in reply.

McGonagall shook her head. "This is not finished," she said, more to the Slytherins than to Lisa and I. "I shall be discussing this incident with Professor Snape and we will deal with this in due course. You all know that drawing wands on each other is absolutely forbidden. You will be hearing from me shortly." She turned to Pansy. "Miss Parkinson, go to the hospital wing and see what Madam Pomfrey can do for that elbow."

"Yes, Professor," said Pansy sullenly. She turned and left the room.

McGonagall turned back to us. "The rest of you shall return to your common rooms at once. Dismissed."

We all immediately headed for the door. Once we were all a couple of corridors away, a safe distance from McGonagall's hearing range, Malfoy began to laugh.

"Old cat," he sneered. "She'll get hers."

"Come on," I said to Lisa, pulling on her arm.

As we made to move past them, Crabbe, most surprisingly moved out of the way. Unsurprisingly, he lost his footing on an uneven bit of flooring and fell into Malfoy. They crashed to the floor.

"Get off me, you great goon!" came Malfoy's muffled voice.

Goyle reached down and pulled Crabbe, who was looking a little dazed, off an irate Malfoy.

Both boys got up, and as they did, something fell from within Malfoy's robes and clanged to the floor, echoing down the corridor. I looked down to see a bronze hinge, one which wouldn't have looked out of place on an old cupboard or armoire

The Slytherins froze. Crabbe and Goyle looked at Malfoy, terrified.

I frowned. Why were they so scared? It was only an old hinge.

"Building a cabinet, Malfoy?" Lisa asked.

Malfoy whipped out his wand to hex her and a split second later (well, perhaps a whole second later for Crabbe and Goyle) our wands were all drawn once more.

"_Tarantallegra!"_

"_Expelliarmus!"_

"_Stupefy!"_

Lisa was holding her own against Crabbe and Goyle, while I took on Malfoy. Before long, Goyle was on the floor, stupefied, while Lisa and Crabbe kept duelling.

Duelling with Malfoy was no easy task; he was pretty good at it, and considering my magic wasn't what it used to be, I was having a rather hard time of it. I was trying to use my mental shield to block his hexes, though it meant that whatever I cast back in return wasn't very strong.

"You're not very good at this," Malfoy panted, swiftly blocking my hex. He looked beyond angry. Actually, he looked like he was about to explode with rage. His pointed face was deathly pale. "You will forget you ever saw that."

I would have answered, had I not been concentrating so hard on blocking him.

"_Obliviate!"_ he yelled.

I felt the force of the hex rock my shield, but it didn't fail. Oh Merlin, that hinge had to be important if he was trying to wipe my memory.

I cast a rather feeble hex in return, desperately trying to hang on to my shield. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lisa still battling with Crabbe. When had Crabbe become so good at duelling?

"_Obliviate!"_ Malfoy yelled again.

Once more, my mental shield rocked, far more violently this time. Should I just take the shield down and concentrate instead on firing hexes? I knew that I was no match for Malfoy. Someone should have heard us by now. If I just kept the shield up for long enough, someone would come along and disarm Malfoy. It was clear from Lisa's bleeding nose that she had her own problems right now.

Malfoy persisted. "_Obliviate!"_

My mental shield shook violently and collapsed for a split second. When it came back up, almost subconsciously, I felt like I had an unfamiliar barrier in my mind. But I was holding a wand and I was facing Malfoy, who was also holding a wand. What the hell?

"_Stupefy!"_ I yelled, pointing my wand at him.

He blocked it, but before he could fire back, I heard a familiar voice.

"_Expelliarmus!"_

My wand flew out of my hand and I watched as it sailed, along with three others, into the outstretched hand of Snape. He looked livid.

I turned to see Lisa clutching a bleeding nose and Crabbe fingering a swelling lip. Goyle was on the floor. What had happened here? Why was I fighting _Slytherins_ of all people?

Snape moved over to Goyle and checked his pulse. He summoned a House Elf before conjuring a stretcher. "Take him to the hospital wing," he told the elf, before levitating Goyle onto the stretcher.

The elf bowed low and then disappeared around the corner, Goyle floating after him.

Snape stood up and turned to face the rest of us. The look on his face made me feel sick. I wanted to run in the opposite direction.

"What in the name of Merlin were you doing?" he demanded, looking around at all of us before settling his eyes on me.

Why was he focusing on me? I didn't start anything! At least…I didn't think I had…

Snape was still looking expectantly at me. When I didn't answer, he looked at Malfoy. "Explain yourself at once, Mr Malfoy.

Malfoy shrugged. "We were duelling, sir, as you saw."

Snape pursed his lips. Since when had Malfoy started showing disrespect to his favourite teacher?

Snape turned to Lisa and Crabbe. "I am by no means finished with the two of you. Go the hospital wing at once and wait for me there."

They both turned and fled, probably grateful to be rid of his attention for the time being.

"You two, follow me," Snape ordered. He turned, his robes billowing out behind him in his favourite intimidating fashion and began to walk quickly.

Where were we going? Did he think _I_ was to blame for all this? It made no sense.

We followed Snape all the way down to the dungeons, by which point I had drawn the conclusion that we were either going to his office for a lecture or his classroom for a detention.

We passed Snape's classroom, but we got to his office, he turned around. "You will wait here, Draco," he said coldly. "Defy me and you will be more than sorry."

This time, Malfoy actually looked a little scared.

Snape looked at me as he turned around. "Come."

I followed, feeling a little confused. Was he going to find some other room for me to do a detention in?

Things got weirder when we stopped at a portrait of a woman and a serpent. In my anxiety I didn't quite pay attention to what Snape was doing, but a moment later he was standing back to allow me to enter before him.

Not feeling right about this at all, but not wanting to bear the wrath of my teacher, I walked in. I was in a sitting room. There was a sofa, armchairs, a dining table and many, many bookshelves. A corridor on the opposite side of the room showed three doors.

I clenched my shaking hands into fists as I realised where I was. I was in _Snape's_ private quarters! This was most improper! Why on _earth_ had he brought me _here_?

Snape closed the door behind him. "Sit," he snapped, pointing to the sofa.

I edged over to the sofa and sat down, avoiding eye contact.

"Look at me at once!"

I looked up, his voice echoing in my head, to see a very angry face looking back at me.

"There had _better_ be a plausible explanation for this, Armilla," he said dangerously.

Armilla? Why was he calling me by my first name?

When I didn't answer, he took a step forward. "_Well_?"

"I-I don't know," I answered honestly, my voice shaking.

He let out a frustrated sigh. "Armilla, do you _realise_ what sort of danger you were just in?"

I nodded. "A lot." Did he realise that he was calling me by my first name?

His eyes flashed at my answer, which he clearly didn't like. He took another step forward, which made me shrink back on the sofa. I had to get out of there!

Suddenly, he stopped and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he looked back at me, black eyes narrowed.

"I am going to go and deal with Draco," his said, his voice full of forced calm. "When I return, you shall endeavour to give me a proper explanation for this. But firstly, are you all right?"

I was stunned. Had Snape just asked me if I was okay? I nodded, and opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out.

Satisfied, he walked to the door and then turned around. "And since you know better than to be part of such a thing, I am sure the explanation will be a good one." He opened the door. "You won't be going to Ravenclaw Tower tonight. I fear Miss Turpin will have other things to do." With that, he left, closing the door behind him.

I wouldn't be going to Ravenclaw Tower? Where _would_ I be going? This wasn't right. I couldn't stay in Snape's private quarters! What would Merle say?

I had to get out of here. I would go to Flitwick…or Dumbledore. I was sure both of them would see that it wasn't right that Snape took me to his quarters. I wasn't sure I would owl Merle about this one. She would probably want to come to the school and give Snape a piece of her mind. But then, she was probably too unwell these days to do that anyway.

I turned my mind away from my sick guardian to the task at hand. How long should I wait before fleeing? I hoped I knew the way out of the dungeons from here.

I waited for five minutes, most of it spent with my eyes closed so I wouldn't have to look at Snape's stuff, trying to ignore the soft hooting I could hear from one of the rooms behind me.

As I stood up, it felt like my whole body was shaking. What if I ran into him on the way back? I couldn't stay here!

I opened the door and peeped out. The draughty corridor was deserted. Throwing caution to the wind, I closed the door quietly behind me and then ran for my life.

o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Cliffhanger, I know! Yes, it was a hinge from the cabinet that Malfoy fixed in HBP. Needless to say, he didn't want Armilla reporting anything to Severus. Sorry this took a little longer than I first expected. The next chapter was actually started before this one, so _hopefully_ it won't take a really long time; it's a matter of finding the spare time. Please leave a comment. Coral Grace.


	22. For There is Nothing Lost

**Chapter 22**

I kept running, hoping I was going in the right direction. When I reached the corridor where Snape's office was, I slowed right down. No doubt Snape would want to investigate any running outside his office.

I walked as quietly as I could pass his office, ignoring my curiosity at what he might have been saying to Malfoy at that moment. I had never seen Snape look so angry; hopefully he would take his anger out on Malfoy before he found me…if I had my way Flitwick or Dumbledore would step in first.

Once I was certain I was a safe distance away, I broke into a run once more, headed straight for the dungeon stairs. I passed a number of Slytherins along the way, all of whom were giving me strange looks.

I slowed down once I was in the Entrance Hall. I didn't want to draw attention to myself where there were more witnesses about. _Witnesses_, I thought bitterly. It was like I had done something terrible.

I hadn't _done _anything wrong! How had I ended up in a fight with _Malfoy_ of all people? Duels with Malfoy were normally reserved for the Gryffindors, particularly Harry Potter.

I walked as quickly as I could up the marble staircase, the memory of fighting Malfoy replaying in my mind. Why had Snape stared at _me_? I didn't even feel guilty about anything, but somehow I had become involved in a duel.

My heart suddenly pounded in my chest as I remembered something. My _wand_. Snape had my wand! I felt sick as I made my way to Flitwick's office; I hoped perhaps Flitwick would get it back for me without too much trouble. What if Snape wanted to give me detention? I didn't want to be alone with him…he had been furious before…I didn't want to be on the receiving end of that, particularly when I hadn't done anything…or couldn't remember doing anything.

_Why _couldn't I remember? Had I been hit with something? I tried to remember what I had done that day, but my thoughts kept getting interrupted by things in my mind that looked like black clouds. I shook my head; something was not right. I presumed that I had gotten up that morning as usual and had gone to classes, but I couldn't remember the details.

I felt a headache coming on as I finally reached the corridor that led to Flitwick's office. Glad that it was completely deserted, I broke into a run in my haste to reach my Head of House's office door. I knocked twice, hoping my knock didn't sound too panicked. When there was no answer, I knocked again, this time much louder.

No answer. I nearly pounded on the door in frustration. Where could he be? _Stupid question_, I thought. I shouldn't just expect Flitwick to always be in his office. I turned, intending to head for Dumbledore's office instead. I had taken a few steps when I stopped suddenly. How could I go to Dumbledore? I didn't know the password to get into his office.

Sense suddenly crawled back into my head. Where would Snape go once he realised that I had disobeyed and disappeared? To the Headmaster or Flitwick of course! I had to get as far away from those offices as I could. Snape could have returned to his quarters by now!

I began to move as fast as I could without running, wondering where I could possibly go. I didn't know how to solve this. I wouldn't be able to hide forever and I had to get to Flitwick or Dumbledore or any other teacher before Snape did. I just couldn't run into Snape…

I crept around for nearly an hour, peering over my shoulder and checking around corners. The corridors became more deserted and it was quite dark outside when I finally came to a halt in a little niche off a corridor I didn't normally frequent. Tired, I sat down in a dark corner, trying to ignore the feeling I had that this was completely wrong. I shouldn't be sitting in a dark little niche while I was wandless.

I sat there for a long time, my hearing extra sensitive as I focused on sounds off in the distance. I was so intent on listening to the distant sounds that I could be forgiven for letting out a great yelp when I heard a voice right next to me.

"Hello!"

Jumping back in alarm, I turned to see the most frightening thing I had ever seen. Merle…as a _ghost_…

What? …How could she…? I shook my head.

The shock of it all didn't seem to register at once. For a long time, I just stared at the transparent, yet iridescent form hovering in front of me, quite visible in the darkness. My heart felt like it was about to explode.

"Armilla?" the ghost said, smiling kindly at me. "I'm thinking of going to Matilda's tomorrow. Are you going to come?"

Even if I had wanted to answer, I couldn't. Hearing Merle's voice coming from a ghost was enough to make me clutch the window sill behind me for support.

Was she…had…Merle…_died_?

I tried to take deep breaths. I had just received a letter from her a day or two ago…I remembered that. Sure, she was sick, but she wasn't on her deathbed.

"Are you coming?" Merle repeated.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I reached a shaky hand out to touch her. My hand went right through her, but I didn't feel the usual icy feeling that came from going through a ghost. Merle didn't seem to notice.

"_Answer _me, Armilla," she said impatiently, looking a little cross.

"I-" I broke off, staring into her eyes. Was she really dead? "Merle?" I whispered.

"Mm?" she said, distractedly, looking around. "Where's my orange saucepan?"

"Merle…," I tried again, my voice wavering. "Are you…_dead_?"

This time, she looked really cross. "Armilla Kemp! What a thing to say!"

Her indignant reply caught me off guard. I had been dreading her saying yes. I hadn't been expecting her to be offended by my question.

"Merle," I repeated, tears in my eyes. "How did you become a ghost?"

"Stop this at once, Armilla!" she snapped, shaking her head at me. "What's the matter with you?"

"You're a ghost, that's _what_!" I said, probably a little too loudly.

"I am most certainly _not_ a ghost!" Merle spun around with a huffing noise. "What a ridiculous notion…" she mumbled to herself.

"Then," I said slowly, trying to make my voice steady, "how is it that you are here like this?"

Merle turned around. She looked blankly at me. "I don't understand you."

I released my hold on the window sill. "You're here at Hogwarts."

Merle looked around. "I think you're dreaming, dear. This is our home."

I shook my head, feeling a little dazed. Was it _me_ who was crazy?

"This is Hogwarts, Merle. This place looks nothing like our home."

Merle gave me a concerned look. "This has gone quite far enough, Armilla. Go and wash your hands for dinner."

I bit my lip. This didn't feel right. This ghost _looked_ like Merle…but something strange was going on here. I needed answers. I thought of going up to the Owlery and contacting the real Merle that way, but it could be ages before I would receive a response, if indeed I would receive a response at all.

I had lingered too long. I began to walk and was not really that surprised that this ghostly Merle floated along with me. I wiped the tears from my face, trying to convince myself that the real Merle was safe at home and all this was some sort of joke in bad taste.

I would go to Dumbledore; I would linger around the corner from his office until I saw him. I wasn't going to risk hanging around in front of the gargoyle in case Snape appeared. I shuddered, Snape's furious face flashing in my mind.

I got lost five times before I found my way again. I supposed that served me right for hiding away in a part of the castle I didn't know well. Merle was with me the whole time and I didn't see a soul. I thought that everyone must have been at dinner by now. How long had I been hiding?

I must have lingered back and forth in the corridors surrounding Dumbledore's office for an hour. It was getting much harder now to convince myself that Merle was still alive. How could she be with this ghostly thing next to me? I swallowed the lump in my throat as I wiped my eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time.

What was I going to do? If Merle was dead then I would have no place to go… I didn't want to go through the pain of not having Merle. It wasn't time yet. She was _that_ old, really…

"Must remember to borrow that cooking book from Dorn," Merle was saying.

I shook my head slightly at her and then jumped as I heard footsteps. I peeked around the corner, holding my breath.

Dumbledore was walking very quickly to his office, looking preoccupied. The usually cheerful expression her wore had been replaced with a brooding one.

Did I really want to interrupt whatever mission he was on?

Yes. I _had_ to find out if Merle was dead. I moved around the corridor and ran towards the Headmaster, who turned at the sound of my footsteps.

"Armilla!" he said, relief washing across his face when he saw me. "Thank, Merlin." He took out his wand. "I'll alert Severus."

"No!" I exclaimed, panicking. I didn't want to be anywhere near Snape.

Dumbledore looked startled at my outburst. "No?" he said softly. "Good heavens, why not?"

I swallowed, trying to push the lump in my throat away. "I-" I suddenly remembered Merle and looked around me. She had gone!

Dumbledore frowned as I turned back to him. He gazed at me, his blue eyes taking in my current state, and I wiped my face in embarrassment.

"It would appear something rather serious has happened," he said, turning to activate the gargoyle. "I'd like you to join me in my office Armilla."

As the gargoyle sprang to life, he gestured for me to step onto the revolving staircase. As I did so, Dumbledore made a complicated wand movement and a transparent phoenix burst from his wand and disappeared down the corridor.

The short trip to the Headmaster's office was in silence. I was grateful, as I was trying to get my emotions under control. I had to know if Merle was dead.

"Please, be seated," Dumbledore said kindly as we stepped into his office. He nodded at the silver bracelet on my wrist. "An excellent means for identifying you," he said, "but I'd like to take an extra precaution, just in case."

I frowned. What was he talking about?

"Armilla," he went on, sitting down behind his desk. "I came across you many months back just as you'd encountered a boggart. What was your boggart?"

I stared at him. Did he have the right person?

"I…don't know what you're talking about, sir," I said, uncomfortably.

Dumbledore looked sternly at me. "You don't remember?"

"No, sir." Why was he looking at me like that?

I was about to ask him about Merle when another transparent form appeared, this time in the shape of a stallion. It paused in front of Dumbledore and by the penetrating look on Dumbledore's face, it was communicating with him somehow. After a moment, Dumbledore conjured another phoenix and it flew out of the room at high speed.

"Severus is aware that you're safe," he said quietly, "but just a moment ago he was called by Voldemort."

I shuddered at the mention of You-Know-Who. Why was Dumbledore talking of Snape as if it was really important to him that I was safe?

"He'll expect to speak with you when he returns," Dumbledore went on. He held my wand up. "I believe this is yours?"

"Yes!" I said, leaning forward, to take it, but Dumbledore put it down on his desk. "Professor Snape took from me."

Dumbledore looked sharply at me. "Professor Snape?" he repeated.

I nodded. I didn't want to waste time on Snape. "I need to know about Merle, sir," I said earnestly, tears welling up in my eyes once more. "A ghost that thinks it's Merle has been following me around for over an hour. Have you received any news? Is she dead?" I bit my lip, waiting impatiently for his answer.

Dumbledore shook his head slightly and leaned forward, interlacing his fingers on his desk. "Merle?" he repeated. Realisation seemed to dawn on his face. "Armilla," he said quietly. "Tell me what the date is today."

The date? Why did that matter when Merle could be dead! Come to think of it though, I wasn't sure what day it was.

Sensing my discomfort, Dumbledore tried again. "Why don't you start with what year it is?"

I knew that. "1995."

Dumbledore didn't say whether I was right or wrong, but he didn't have to; I _knew_ what year it was. I wasn't silly.

"And what year are you in, Armilla?"

"Fifth year," I answered. "Why are you asking me this, sir?" I looked at him pleadingly. "I need to know about Merle. Have you heard anything?"

Dumbledore seemed to struggle with himself for a moment. "No," he said finally. "How long did you spend in the presence of this ghost?" He looked very concerned.

"I'm not sure," I said, shaking my head. "Probably over an hour."

Dumbledore closed his eyes, his face looking strained. When he opened them again, he regarded me with a grim expression. "Listen very carefully, Armilla. I would like you to tell me what you remember of the events of today."

Was he implying that there was something wrong with my memory? I thought back. I could only remember fighting with Malfoy. I had no idea what had happened this morning. When I tried to think of this morning, I was met with black haze.

"I was duelling with Malfoy this afternoon," I said slowly. "Well, I suppose it was after classes, seeing as it's dark now. Lisa and Crabbe were there…and Goyle, too, but he was on the floor."

"Do you remember why you were duelling with Mr Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked softly, his blue eyes fixed on mine.

I shook my head. "I have no idea why. It was a strange situation to find myself in. Professor Snape stopped everything and he sent Goyle, Crabbe and Lisa to the hospital wing. He told Malfoy and I to follow him."

Dumbledore nodded. "I am aware of this part, but do go on; I'd like to hear your version of this."

I suddenly felt panicked again. "I won't have to speak to Professor Snape about this, will I? He was really angry."

Dumbledore hesitated before answering. "We'll see. Do go on."

"Professor Snape left Malfoy outside his office and told him not to go anywhere. Then he took me to his rooms!" I gave the Headmaster an indignant look. "That's not right, sir. I have no idea why I was duelling, but Professor Snape shouldn't have taken me to his quarters, no matter how mad he was! If Merle knew, she'd-" I stopped, looking away. It hurt to think about Merle.

When I looked back at him, Dumbledore was rubbing his forehead.

"Sir?" Why was it that everything and everyone didn't seem quite right?

"And you don't remember this morning, yesterday…?"

I shook my head. "I see a black haze whenever I try to."

He looked very interested at this information. "May I have your permission to use Legilimency on you?" he asked, taking out his wand again.

I nodded. I was willing to do anything to work out what was going on here.

Dumbledore raised his wand. "_Legilimens_!"

Memory after memory flashed before my eyes, most of them involving my childhood with Merle. It seemed that Dumbledore wasn't looking for these though, as he kept pulling forth hazy black clouds. Some were large and some were small, and some were knotted together.

"What were those black things?" I asked, as Dumbledore ended the spell.

"Those," he replied, putting his wand away and passing mine to me, "would be your lost memories. I was rather relieved to see them there. I was rather afraid that they had gone altogether."

"I kind of guessed that something was wrong with my memory, sir," I said, awkwardly, "but it doesn't explain why Merle is a ghost."

"Armilla," Dumbledore said, slowly, standing up from his seat. He walked around his desk and sat in the armchair next to mine.

This had to mean bad news of some kind.

Dumbledore took my hand in his. Yep, _definitely _bad news then. I bit my lip, waiting for him to speak again.

"The date today," he said quietly, meeting my gaze, "is Friday, December 3rd, 1996. You are in your Sixth Year."

I stared back at him, my mouth open. I had just aged a _year_.

"I'm _sixteen_?" I said, incredulously.

"And a half," he said, nodding.

"And Merle?" I whispered, feeling him squeeze my hand slightly.

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Merle passed away following a stroke in the October of 1995."

I looked away, trying to push the lump away again. Merle was dead. _Dead_.

"It is not quite fair to put you through this again," Dumbledore said quietly, squeezing my hand again. "I am so very sorry."

I nodded. I felt strange, like I wasn't quite in my body. "We…she had a funeral then?"

He nodded. "Yes. You've been to the cemetery several times since then to visit her."

We were silent. Dumbledore looked like he had much more to say, but I wasn't sure I was prepared to hear anything more. All that mattered was that Merle was dead.

"Our house?" I whispered. "Do I still live there?"

He shook his head. "The house was sold shortly after Merle's death. Merle left everything to you and the sale of the house, as well as other assets and sentimental items are now safely in your vault at Gringotts…or in your new home."

"So…so-" I said, my voice shaking. "Who have I been living with?"

Again, he looked hesitant. "Armilla, a great deal has happened in your life in the past year, apart from Merle's death."

"_Who_?" I pressed him, wiping those blasted tears away.

"I will give you an answer, but I will not go into all the particulars this evening, as it is far too much information," Dumbledore said firmly, handing me a tissue.

"My life couldn't have been _that_ eventful in one year," I said, dryly.

"You'd be surprised," he said, grimly. He sighed. "Not long after Merle's death, you discovered that you had a brother, a much older brother. That brother now has full custody of you."

I was shocked. A _brother_? I'd been waiting for him to say that I was living with an elderly, childless couple or something. Not a brother.

"How did I discover it?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I told you that I will not go into the particulars this evening. There is a lot of information to give you." He sighed. "With any luck, we won't have to; I'm hoping to have your memories restored to you."

"Who is it then?"

There was a pause, and then…

"Professor Snape."

"_Snape_?" I hadn't heard correctly. He must have said something else.

"_Professor_ Snape, Armilla," Dumbledore corrected. "Well, _Severus_ really; that's what you call him now."

I shook my head. "No."

"Armilla-"

I stood up. "_No_. I don't want to go anywhere _near _him."

Dumbledore remained where he was, looking too calm for my liking. "The Armilla I know would say something quite the opposite."

"Then she must be out of her mind," I retorted. "You didn't see how angry he was! I didn't want to hang around for him to come back! You honestly can't expect me to go near him like that. I-"

I stopped when Dumbledore put his hand up to stop what was turning out to be an endless tirade.

"Armilla," he said, his voice a little hard, "sit down."

I hesitated, quite content to pace right now, but the sudden steely look in his eyes convinced me to return to my seat.

"Just humour me for a moment, if you please," he said, handing me another tissue. "Imagine what Merle's reaction would have been if she'd caught you duelling. How do you think she would have felt?"

_Would have_ felt... There was the lump in my throat again. I thought for a moment. "She would have been worried," I whispered, "…and probably angry that I'd managed to get myself into that situation in the first place."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, whether it was your fault or not." He gave me a significant look, which I chose to ignore.

"Continue to humour me," he continued, leaning forward to take my hand again. "You have my word, Armilla, that I would only tell you the absolute truth about Severus."

I nodded, feeling a little queasy.

"Severus loves you more than you could imagine."

I stared back at him. Yes, definitely feeling queasy. Who was crazy here? The Head of Slytherin, the most irritable person I had ever met, _loved_ me.

"And would you believe that _you_ love him?" Dumbledore suddenly smiled at me. "I know for a fact that your boggart is Severus in death."

I frowned. "It is?"

He nodded. "You were quite distressed at the time and had reason to be. The two of you quite depend on each other."

I looked doubtfully at him. "I don't remember," I said quietly, looking away. His angry face flashed in my mind again. "I still don't want to talk to him." I wanted to go home…and find Merle there.

"We aren't in agreement on that," the Headmaster said firmly. "You will need to speak with him sooner or later, and I'd prefer for it to be sooner."

"Why?" I asked, looking back at him. "Why? I don't _need _to talk to him. I was probably an unwelcome interruption in his life. It's probably best if I just go back to Ravenclaw and…drop Potions."

"I am going to blame your irrational thinking on your shock," Dumbledore said quietly, standing up. "Come."

I hesitated. "Where are we going?"

"The hospital wing. I would like to be assured that, your memory and the shock of this aside, you are in excellent health."

"Then where?" I asked quietly, standing up. I didn't want to appear cowardly, but I really didn't want to go near Snape. Even if what Dumbledore said was true, I found it too hard to imagine. Perhaps, if Snape _did_ love me, it was something concealed behind the harsh exterior I was used to seeing. Snape, in my view, simply wasn't capable of showing warmth.

Dumbledore turned around at the door. "Then I will take you down to the dungeons. I am afraid that you cannot stay in Ravenclaw tonight."

"Why not…sir?" I hoped my tone wasn't too demanding. I knew I was pushing my luck. Ha. I felt like pushing my fist through a wall at the moment. All I wanted was Merle.

Dumbledore adjusted his robes before looking back at me. "Because you have no memory of being in your Sixth Year; I have no wish to reveal that to your House mates just yet. Also, I believe Severus' skills will be pivotal to having your memories returned to you. And thirdly," he sighed, shaking his head slightly, "Armilla, you are to tell no one about the ghostly Merle you saw. You have been seeing her for months now and it only happens when you're alone."

"I'm a lunatic," I muttered.

Dumbledore, to my surprise, chuckled. "No, there's far more to it, but I won't go into it just now. It is important that you go nowhere alone, Armilla. For the moment, I want you to stay in the dungeons until your brother and I have had further discussions about where to go from here. You won't be able to attend classes, seeing as you are currently studying content you have no memory of."

I nodded, looking away. I felt sick. Merle was dead and I had to stay in the dungeons with Snape. I preferred the confused feeling I'd had before.

"Armilla," Dumbledore said quietly.

I looked over at him.

He looked grave. "There's nothing that we can't all handle together. This is going to be a difficult time, for you especially, but also for Severus. We will try our very best to put things right, but it may take time."

I nodded. The lump in my throat prevented me from saying anything.

"Come, then."

o o o o o o o o o o

I didn't enjoy my trip to the hospital wing at all.

Lisa and Crabbe were no where to be found, seeing as Madam Pomfrey had probably healed their injuries in a wink. Goyle, however, was lying in a bed at the far end of the room.

Madam Pomfrey, after having a private conversation with Dumbledore so she could be filled in on my condition, had fussed far too much for my liking. I hated being patronised, and though I knew the old nurse probably didn't mean it in a condescending way, I was ready to hex her after I was called a _poor dear_ one too many times.

At Dumbledore's insistence, Madam Pomfrey also treated me for shock, giving me a calming potion, a headache potion and a nausea potion. Madam Pomfrey also stood her ground and insisted that I eat some dinner there in the hospital wing before I left. Again, she meant well, but all I felt like was throwing everything around the room and making a break for it.

_Run_, I thought grimly. The thought had crossed my mind a couple of times as the Headmaster and I had made our way to the hospital wing. I wasn't sure where exactly I would run to; in my fantasy world I would have run all the way home to Merle. I was certain though, that Dumbledore would catch up with me before I had gotten ten steps.

The walk down to the dungeons was horrible. I cringed many times on the way, whenever I thought of returning to Snape's rooms. Dumbledore had assured me that Snape wasn't back yet and that I could use the time to prepare for bed and perhaps look around the place that I apparently frequented several times a week.

Dumbledore, having access to every room in the castle, let us in with ease at the portrait.

"Here we are," he said pleasantly, standing back to let me through.

I walked in a few steps and stood near the door, perfectly content to stay there until I was ready to run out again. My mind was preoccupied with Merle. If I'd had my way, I'd be up in my dorm wallowing in self-pity at that moment. I hadn't had a chance to say goodbye…that I could remember.

"Sir," I said quietly, as Dumbledore closed the door. "Did I see Merle before she died?"

He inclined his head. "Yes, I received an express owl from St Mungos and I sent you that afternoon. Matilda met you there and you were both with her when she died."

"Oh." I looked away. "I don't remember. I'm glad I was with her."

"I'm sure she was too."

Dumbledore looked around the room. "Would you like some tea, Armilla, or would you rather prepare for bed?"

I had many questions buzzing through my mind, but I knew Dumbledore wasn't going to answer them that evening. I wasn't in the mood for idle chat either; perhaps just going to bed would be the best option.

"I think I'll go to bed, sir."

He nodded. "I'll show you your bedroom then."

I had a bedroom here? In _Snape's _rooms? _Your brother's rooms_, my mind reminded me.

I followed Dumbledore down the corridor and he turned to the door on the left.

"I'll let you go in," he said, opening the door. "I'll come by later to say goodbye, if you're still awake."

I nodded. "Thank you, sir."

He gave me a small smile, his clear blue eyes fixed on me. "Remember, Armilla, that I am here to talk to if you need me."

I nodded again.

"But," he said, looking serious, "Remember that Severus is your brother first and your teacher second. I assure you that he sees the relationship in that way too."

"Okay," I said quietly. I didn't want to think about Snape. I still couldn't rid my mind of his furious face.

After Dumbledore returned to the other room, I looked around my bedroom. It suited me exactly; it was like someone had designed it specifically for me. The cream bedding with the pale blue ribbon running through it was very much like what I had at home.

Home. Where was home now?

I bit my lip as I looked around. There on the desk were a few school books. I walked over and picked up the one on top. I cringed when I saw the name on top.

_Armilla Snape._

My name had changed too. Why hadn't I been allowed to keep Kemp? I wasn't a Snape; I was a Kemp. I had been a Kemp all my life.

I gasped when I heard a sudden hooting in the room. I followed the trace of the sound and saw a snowy white owl resting atop the armoire.

"Who are you?"

The owl was regarding me with what could only be described as a calculating look. Suddenly, the snowy owl let out another hoot and turned green, Slytherin green. This must be Snape's strange, colour-changing owl. I was about to turn away, wondering why his owl was in my bedroom, when it hooted again and turned Ravenclaw blue.

Shaking my head, I walked over to the armoire and yanked it open. There were all my clothes, as well as some I didn't recognise. Had Snape bought me new clothes in the past year? I shuddered at the thought of clothes shopping with the man. There was also a violin case sitting on the floor. Apparently I was learning the violin too.

I walked into the adjourning bathroom, grateful that at least we didn't have to share. I looked in the mirror for a long time, trying to find any traces of age. In the end I gave up after rolling my eyes at my stupidity. There really hadn't been much change in me since I was fifteen. It didn't seem as if I had grown any taller. My haircut seemed a little different… but otherwise, there I was, just the same: dark eyes, dark hair, and pale skin.

I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair. I stopped suddenly when I saw something glinting from each of my ears. I leaned in an examined the earrings I was wearing. They were small, square diamonds. I had never owned diamonds. I was sure that Merle had owned just one earring very much like this one. Her brother had taken the other. Perhaps, after her death, somehow I had gotten it back to make the pair. I smiled, the first smile I had meant in what seemed like ages; it was nice to be wearing a reminder of Merle.

As I prepared to take a shower, I noticed that I was wearing a thin silver chain and with a small pearl attached. I frowned, holding it up to examine it. It was indeed rather beautiful, but I had no idea where it had come from. It was a strange thing that I had been wearing it under my school uniform. I normally didn't wear jewellery like that to school. Where I had gotten a pearl from? Perhaps a sixteenth birthday present?

I spent far too long in the shower; the shower was a great place for wallowing and generally avoiding the world outside the bathroom for as long as possible.

When I finally got into bed, I was glad that I couldn't hear voices out in the other room. I was hoping to fall asleep and wake up in the morning to find that this had all been a bad dream. Merle would still be alive, I would be fifteen, and Snape would be nothing more than the irritable Potions teacher and fearsome Head of Slytherin.

I laid awake for a long time, staring at the canopy above me. Every time it hit me that Merle really wasn't around, I felt a stab of pain in my chest. How dare she die and leave me here like this! I wasn't ready to be alone! There was a dry laugh in my head. _Would you ever be_?

I finally drifted off into an unsettled sleep, only to be jerked awake by the sound of voices in the sitting room. I felt nauseous and my head was pounding. I put my cold hands on my face, wondering why Madam Pomfrey's potions hadn't seemed to work.

Though I recognised one of the voices as Snape's, I was too half asleep to pay it much attention or be alarmed that Dumbledore would depart and leave me alone with the man. I closed my eyes and again and rolled onto my side, pushing away the image of Snape's angry face. I kicked the blankets off, feeling too hot. I wanted to get some water from the bathroom, but I was worried that too much movement would alert the two to the fact that I wasn't asleep.

A long time went by before I heard the sound of footsteps. The door of my bedroom opened slightly. I didn't move an inch.

"Sleeping," I heard Dumbledore murmur, and the door was closed again.

If Snape had responded, I hadn't heard him. A few moments later, I heard the sound of the front door opening and closing again.

I stayed still, willing myself to fall asleep again, but distracted by the pounding of my head. I was suddenly hit by the urge to sneeze. No! Mustn't sneeze!

"Achoo!" I tried my best to muffle the sound, but when it was followed by two more, I gave up.

I heard the door of my bedroom open once again. Since I had my back to the door, I wondered for a moment if I should close my eyes and fake sleep. A fourth sneeze ruined any plans.

I heard him step into the room, moving in the quiet way he was well known for. He came around the bed to the side I was facing.

The sight of him made me stiffen. I wasn't sure what to say to him. I wondered grimly if he felt the same way. I slowly brought myself to make eye contact with him.

I couldn't read his expression, especially considering it was dark in the room. He seemed rather guarded, perhaps suppressing any anger he felt.

"Well then," he said quietly. "This is a rather unhappy turn of events."

o o o o o o o o o

A/N Please review! Sorry for the lack of Severus in this chapter – he'll feature rather prominently in the next one, as you may have guessed. The next couple of scenes have already been written. I'm hoping to get one more chapter in between now and April…if time allows it. I'm going overseas for a month in April and so it's likely a chapter after this time won't be until mid May at the earliest.

Next Chapter: "…That may be found, if sought."

Chapter names taken from verse: The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser


	23. That May be Found, if Sought

A/N Since it's been a while, it's probably worth going back and rereading the last two chapters. If you've forgotten the details (like me!) this chapter won't make a lot of sense.

o o o o o o o o o

**Chapter 23**

I stared back at him, not sure what to say. The real me would have agreed with him I supposed, if Dumbledore's words were true. I supposed it_ was _an unhappy turn of events, but my reasons were probably vastly different to his. I wanted Merle back. I didn't feel comfortable with this man. He was my teacher; the man who made me cringe every time I went to Potions.

His black eyes swept over me, taking in the strewn blankets as well. "Are you unwell?"

"I'm…not sure," I answered truthfully. I didn't feel well, but that could have been from the shock of all this. Perhaps Madam Pomfrey should have given me something stronger.

He made no comment about my answer. He glanced at my bed for a moment and then turned to sit in the armchair beside me. He continued to look at me, the tiniest wave of emotion reaching his eyes. There was something in his eyes that looked different to what I remembered from that afternoon.

"I imagine that you're feeling utterly dejected at the moment," he said quietly. "That, I can understand."

I nodded. "I'm not sure how I got into this, sir."

He suddenly grimaced. "Don't call me _sir_," he said shortly. "I'd rather you not call me anything at all than call me that."

"Sorry," I said quickly. I bit my lip, thinking how easy it was to agitate the man.

He shook his head. "I apologise if I gave you a less than decorous impression this afternoon when I brought you down here, but I had no idea that your memory had been altered."

I nodded again, too nervous to comment.

The silence that followed wasn't pleasant. Snape was looking at me, as if waiting for me to speak, but I had nothing to say. What was I _supposed_ to say? The only time I ever spoke to this man was when answering questions during Potions, something which I usually kept to a minimum.

I distracted myself by concentrating on finding the colder parts of my mattress. It was so warm in this room.

"Armilla."

It sounded so strange hearing him call me by my first name. I looked over at him.

"I do not presume to know all the thoughts that must be running through your mind at the moment," he said, watching me closely. "I can only hope that whatever doubts you may have in regard to your life with me will be of short duration."

I bit my lip again. Of course I was having doubts. This was the most fearsome teacher I knew.

I coughed, feeling a pain through my chest as I did so. "So, I shouldn't say that I'm sorry, then?"

He frowned. "Whatever for?"

"For intruding on your life like this. This must have been the last thing you wanted."

"No, I wasn't impressed at the time," he admitted. "But then, I had never planned for a child…teenager in this case."

I stared at him, trying to read his expression, which was still closed.

"I realise that the loss of your memory may cause you to mull over how you could have possibly lived a reasonably happy life within the past year," he went on, his voice quiet, "but I do hope you will trust me when I say that I do not regret the place you occupy in my life."

There was sincerity in his expression…I could now read it plain as day. It wasn't something I could normally recognise in this man. I wanted to ask him more. I wanted to know about my mother and father. Where were they? Were they dead too? I felt too nervous to ask Snape about our parents. I suppressed a shudder. What a strange thought. We had the same parents.

"Do you think my memory will come back?" I asked suddenly.

He didn't answer at first. Instead his frown deepened, but he still met my gaze. "I promised the Headmaster that I wouldn't investigate your lost memories until the morning, when you've had a night's sleep." He sighed. "Though I am greatly tempted to just have a look tonight."

I bit my lip, waiting for a positive answer.

"Of course, I will do everything in my power to see that every memory is restored to you," he said softly.

The tone of his voice made me nervous. It wasn't the sort of soft tone he used in class when someone was in deep trouble. This was a completely unfamiliar tone to hear from him.

_He loves you, apparently_, the voice in my head said.

I clenched my sheets. I was so confused. I wanted to fall asleep and wake up to find that this was all a dream…or perhaps just not wake up for a long time.

"Couldn't you look now?" I asked. I grimly wondered if the other _me_ had much luck when it came to cajoling my brother.

"I could," he said, "but I will not delve into trying to solve it tonight. I shall take a look, but I want to think about the best means of rectifying the problem. The memory, as we very well know, is not something to be trifled with."

He took his wand out and gave no warning. "_Legilimens!"_

A flood of memories started flashing in my mind, many of them speeding by so fast it was hard to make them out. Snape stopped when he came across the same hazy black clouds Dumbledore had found. He seemed to concentrate on them for a while; a couple of times it felt like he was pulling at one of the small ones and I felt a bit of pressure in my head.

"Interesting," he murmured as he cancelled the spell.

"Were you pulling at one of them?" I asked, rubbing my head. It seemed to ache more now.

"I was," he answered, putting his wand away. "You felt it?"

"I felt pressure when you were looking at one of them."

"I need to find a way to cancel those black clouds," he said, more to himself than to me. "Did the pressure increase as I pulled with more strength?"

I nodded.

"That boy has a lot to answer for," he said bitterly.

"Malfoy," I said slowly. Had Malfoy caused this? I _had_ been duelling with him for some reason. "It might have been my fault," I said thoughtfully. After all, I had no idea whose fault this whole thing was.

He shook his head. "Though I have very little proof thus far, I am inclined to believe that the fault lies with Draco Malfoy."

Snape blamed _Malfoy_? His favourite student? What was the world coming to?

_Ha_, a voice in my head said. _What was the world coming to? You don't even remember this world!_

I frowned, sitting up slightly and sneezing as I did so. "Why would he have altered my memory?" I asked, accepting the handkerchief that Snape had accioed for me.

He didn't answer at first; he simply reached into his robes and pulled out a bronze hinge. He placed it in my hand. It felt cool against my hot hand.

"A hinge," I murmured, turning it over. If this thing was the cause of my lost memory then I was ready to hurl it at the wall.

My intentions must have been showing on my face, as Snape took it away a moment later and held onto it instead.

"Seeing as Miss Turpin was also there," he said quietly, running his finger along the edge of the hinge, "I'll have her come down here in the morning to give her version of events. Somehow I think her story will be more believable than Draco's."

"You don't believe Malfoy?" Did Snape not like Malfoy after all?

He looked back at me, his face grim. "I have never trusted that young man. Lately it seems I have more reason not to trust him."

This was annoying. I should have known what he was talking about. Instead, there I was, nervous that I was alone in the dungeons with my Potions teacher, feeling utterly ill and having no idea what was going on.

"We shouldn't talk of this now," Snape said abruptly, looking a little agitated too. Maybe this was irritating for him too. I wondered how often the other _me_ bothered him.

"The Headmaster informed me that Madam Pomfrey has already given you three potions," he said, standing up. "I am thinking that you require something stronger. Perhaps one to treat a cold?"

"Yes," I said quietly.

"Anything else?" he said over his shoulder as he walked to the door. "A stronger headache potion?"

He knew I had a headache then. "Yes, s-" I stopped short when I realised I was about to call him sir again.

He looked back at me, his expression blank again. "Severus," he said quietly. "You call me Severus."

I nodded. Calling him Severus would be really strange.

"I'll be back in a moment." He closed the door behind him.

I practised on the closed door, feeling like an idiot. "Severus."

o o o o o o o o o o

_I was sitting by the lake talking to Terry and Lisa. They were talking about some Charm Flitwick had taught. What did it do? I couldn't remember. I wasn't really paying attention anyway; I had to keep pushing the cloud out of the way. Lisa and Terry didn't seem to notice. Again and again I kept pushing it, but it kept floating back._

_There was a string. A long, greyish string. Hold on, it was hanging off the cloud. I laughed. There was a string hanging off the cloud – how awfully funny! I started laughing as I pulled it._

_Ooh. Had I just bumped my head? I shook my head, watching the silly cloud floating in front of me. Why hadn't Lisa and Terry noticed? Determined, I pulled on the string again._

_Suddenly I heard Snape's voice coming from the string. "And what did you think of our dear father?"_

_I heard my own voice reply. "I didn't like him."_

_That was true. I didn't like our father at all. Wait a moment...did I know my father? I was sure I did and I was sure I didn't like him. How did I know that?_

_Ha, ha. The string was longer now._

"_Silly string," I giggled, reaching forward to pull on it. I cringed as the ache in my head came back. "Ow."_

"_When will I get to see my mother?"_

_There was my voice again. Was I able to see my mother? Had I asked Snape that question?_

_No, no! His name is Severus. Severus!_

"_I'll get you. See if I don't!" I pulled hard on the string and clutched at my head at the same time. "Ah!"_

_The string completely unravelled and the cloud disappeared! Hurrah!_

_There I was. I was sitting in a carriage with my brother. We were going back to school. I had just seen my father for the first time. What was his name?_

_Aurelius! Wrinkled, grey-haired man. I wrinkled my nose. I hadn't liked him one bit. He'd just been concerned about marrying me off. It was a good thing Snape didn't agree with him about that. Perhaps he wasn't so bad after all._

"_Aurelius," I told my friends. "That's my father's name."_

_They ignored me. Hm, that was rude. I wondered if there was another string around to pull at. Ha, ha. Silly string. Gosh, my head hurt. Bad string._

_I looked around for another cloud. There was one way up in the distance. This one was a lot bigger. There was no string hanging off this one. I wondered how high I could jump._

"_I'll get it," I announced. Lisa and Terry laughed as I jumped as high as I could. Damn. Missed it! I jumped again. I jumped so high! Ten feet at least! My fingers just scraped the edges of the cloud, just enough to pull at a few strands…just enough for the ache in my head to renew itself._

_As I floated back towards the ground I heard the voice of my old governess. Rougier. I had a governess…_

"_You insolent, pig-headed child!" she spat. "I will not be spoken to like that. You can forget about asking me to heal those injuries for you."_

_Injuries? Coleman! He had come to test my magic at Father's house just after Christmas. I suddenly heard my father's voice._

"_Armilla! Explain yourself at once! I have just been informed that you insulted your governess just as she was trying to help you! Well? What have you to say?"_

_Rougier had hit me. I remembered that. I hadn't liked that nasty hag at all. Hm, I was still floating; shouldn't I have hit the ground by now?_

"Oof!" I shook my head. Where was I? Boy, did my head hurt! I brought my clammy hands to my forehead. They weren't cold enough to make it feel better. Where were Lisa and Terry?

My bed was hard. Wait…my bed was _next_ to me. I tried to steer around the dizziness in my head. Hold on, I was on the floor next to my bed. Had I just fallen out of bed? I frowned; that wasn't my bed. My bed was-

Suddenly everything dawned on me. Snape. I was in Snape's rooms. I'd lost my memory. This place should have been very familiar to me apparently.

I sat there, thinking for a moment, rubbing my head. I remembered my father. Aurelius Snape. He was a really awful man. I remembered going to Snape Manor over Christmas time. I remembered Rougier. I remembered knowing that Snape was my brother and still feeling nervous about it.

Was this right? Maybe my mind had made all this up. I couldn't be certain that it was all real. After all, I couldn't jump that high.

I looked at the clock on the bedside table. 8:17am.

I got up and slowly made my way to the bathroom, holding on to anything I could for support. I felt utterly woozy. I splashed cold water on my face. It didn't help. Did Snape keep these rooms warm for a reason? I decided that taking a cold shower was the only way to help, but once I'd gotten in, I couldn't do it. Cold showers were painful. I had a rather quick, warm shower, choosing not to stay in there long because I had gotten tired standing there. What was wrong with me?

I got dressed, trying not to cough because it made my chest ache. I wondered if Snape would make me stay in these rooms. No one was supposed to know about my memory loss. He'd have to tell Terry and Lisa though.

I was thankful that Snape hadn't come in when I'd fallen out of bed. How embarrassing. I wondered where he was. He told me the night before to knock on his door at the end of the hall if I needed anything during the night.

Shivering slightly, I opened my bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. The door at the end of the hall was closed, as was the door to the room opposite. I heard the sound of rustling parchment coming from the sitting room. Slowly, I edged down the hallway, nerves hitting me once again.

I saw Snape sitting at the dining table, completely engrossed in the parchment in his hand. He looked up when he heard me enter. "Good morning," he said, putting the parchment aside.

"Good morning." I lingered where I was, not entirely comfortable with walking around like I knew the place, but knowing I should probably just sit down. Looking at him now was different to last night. I remembered him being my brother. I couldn't quite understand the change in feeling I had looking at him now.

Snape nodded at the chair next to him. There was a bowl of porridge, a cup of tea and a glass of pumpkin juice already there. "Come, sit down."

Shivering again, I slowly walked over and sat down next to him. My stomach lurched at the thought of eating the porridge. The last thing I felt like was food.

"Your breakfast is still warm," Snape said, gesturing to the plate.

I shook my head. "I'm not really hungry."

Hr frowned. "I see you're still unwell. You should have stayed in bed."

I didn't answer. I felt funny, but I wasn't convinced it was all to do with being ill. Here I was with the Head of Slytherin, a man I was normally fearful of. I felt okay next to him though and the only reason why was because of that dream I'd had. I didn't remember much about him, aside from that ride in the carriage when I'd known he was my brother.

I coughed, and then cringed, feeling another pain in my chest.

Snape shook his head. "You should _definitely_ be in bed. Why did you bother getting up?"

I shrugged. "I don't know." Actually, I wanted to go back to bed. If I slept, I might be able to find another memory…though doing it made my head hurt.

"Miss Turpin and Mr Boot are coming by a little later," he said, shaking his head slightly at my answer. "You can go back to bed after that." He pushed the glass of pumpkin juice towards me. "At least drink this."

"They know about my memory then?" I asked, reaching for the glass.

"The Headmaster is informing them as we speak."

This was strange. My friends couldn't have changed much, could they? It would be weird to have a conversation with two people I was so close to, and know they knew more about my life than I did. As I drank the pumpkin juice, I pondered the dream I'd had. I knew my father, but I couldn't quite picture my mother. I was certain now from my dream that I shared the same parents with Snape, but I had such a limited recollection.

"As soon as I've finishing dealing with Draco Malfoy, I'll look into possible solutions for retrieving your memories," Snape said, refilling my glass when I put it down.

"Actually," I said, "I think I know how to solve it." I picked up the glass, "little bits at a time," I added vaguely.

He looked sharply at me. "How?"

"I had strange dreams last night. At first I couldn't quite tell what was fictional and what wasn't." I proceeded to tell him about the clouds and the string, conveniently leaving out any embarrassing details.

Snape looked engrossed the whole time I was telling him. This sort of magic clearly fascinated him; it fascinated _me_.

"The mental shield I taught you must have collapsed at the same moment Draco cast the spell," he said, more to himself than to me. "You obviously didn't suffer the full effects of it and the magic of the spell must have weakened enough to simply black out your most recent memories-"

"Not wipe them out altogether," I finished, rubbing my head.

"Yes," he said nodding, looking lost in thought. He was silent for a moment. "And you say that you feel pressure in your mind when you pull at memories? The same as when I tried?"

I nodded. "Yes. The harder I pull, the more pressure I feel."

"Painful pressure?"

"Yes."

Snape shook his head. "Well, that certainly makes things harder. Perhaps entering your mind and pulling on all of them in one go will be enough for a severe migraine."

"Don't try to," I said, alarmed. "Please don't." My head already hurt enough.

"Of course I won't," he scoffed. "That would be a foolish thing to do. I believe having all your memories come rushing back to you at once would be too overwhelming."

The silence that followed was uncomfortable. Honestly, I was so stupid. Of course he wouldn't have tried to get them all back at once. What was I thinking?

"How were you able to distinguish between reality and the fictional in your dream?" Snape asked a moment later.

"Once I heard things…," I said slowly, "or saw them, it felt like I'd known it all along…if that makes sense."

"I understand," he said, nodding. "May I take a look?"

"Are you going to pull on one?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable. Who knew what memory he'd find…

"I'd like to determine if it's possible for me to unravel one." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "If you don't mind?"

I deliberated for a moment, before nodding my consent.

"Don't worry about what I might see," he said impatiently, taking out his wand. "The memories are just from the past year or so and I am already familiar with most of your experiences."

"Oh," I said uncomfortably.

He gave me a thin smile. "I already know plenty about you."

I bit my lip. Merlin, how much did he know about me? How _close_ were we?

Snape gave me no time to ponder this. "_Legilimens!"_

Like the night before, memories started whirling through my mind. Every so often, I'd catch sight of the hazy clouds, some large, some small and some partly joined together. Snape seemed to focus on one in particular, which thankfully, wasn't too large.

Immediately I felt a small amount of pressure. I could tell Snape was pulling, but nothing was happening; the cloud didn't react at all. Suddenly I felt a sharp tug and I gasped, bringing my hand to my head. Snape cancelled the spell a moment later.

"Nothing," he said, looking a little annoyed. "I can't make it budge." He sighed. "Did you try accessing one of your memories this morning by pulling at it?"

"No, I didn't," I admitted, feeing utterly stupid. Why hadn't I tried doing it myself?

"Give it a go now, then."

Feeling self-conscious, I tried to concentrate on bringing forth one of my hazy memories. That was the easy part; no matter how hard I tried, no matter which part of the cloud I pulled at, nothing seemed to happen.

"Nothing?" Snape was watching me with a stern expression, his arms folded.

I shook my head. "Nothing. It wouldn't work."

"Explain again how you managed it in your dream."

"I didn't have to think much about it," I said, trying to recall everything in the dream. "I saw the clouds and I pulled on them."

"Did you go looking for them?"

"No, they were just there. One I could reach easily, and the other I had to jump for."

"Perhaps I could try and access them while you're sleeping," Snape murmured, looking lost in his thoughts again.

"I might be able to unravel more each time I sleep," I pointed out. Long-lost brother or not, I wasn't sure I wanted him in my head whilst I was sleeping. I wasn't sure that would even work. "Wouldn't that disturb my sleep?"

"It depends on the force with which I enter your mind," he said simply. "One is able to slip in without the other detecting it."

"Oh."

There was silence again.

"Are you sure you don't want to try and eat some breakfast?" Snape asked finally, standing up from the table.

I shook my head. "I don't want to eat anything."

He nodded. "Very well. I'll give you a nutritional potion instead in addition to the others. You probably need bed rest more than anything else. Come."

I stood and followed him down the corridor and into a room opposite my bedroom. It seemed to be a small potions lab. The walls were lined with jars of various ingredients and there was a large wooden bench in the middle of the room.

I chewed on my lip, trying to ignore the pounding in my head as I watched Snape pour a few potions into glasses. I wanted to know things…things I sort of knew about and things I knew nothing about…but _wanted_ to know about…

Snape placed the glasses in front of me on the bench. "Drink these and then you may ask your questions."

Goodness, had my thoughts made my expression that transparent? How could he read something like that in me? _Maybe he just knows you well enough to accurately guess your thoughts._

I drank the potions quickly, wincing at the vile taste of each one. At least the ache in my head started to dull.

I followed Snape out of the room and back to the sitting room, where we sat on the sofa.

"Well then," he said, fixing his black eyes on mine. "Ask away."

"I don't know where to start. There are so many things to know."

"Indeed," he said quietly, "probably too much to tell you in one sitting. I wonder if it's best to wait until you see these memories in your dreams…if the same experience of last night repeats itself." He shook his head slightly. "Or perhaps there are certain memories I should warn you of in advance…"

I frowned. "Certain memories?" By his expression I could only guess that he was talking of disturbing memories.

"Even if you tell me," I said, "wouldn't it follow that I'll still feel the emotions of the memories if I dream them? I don't think knowing in advance will lessen the effect of my mind reliving them."

He inclined his head. "Perhaps not." He sighed. "There are many possibilities to explore. I suppose that it must come down to the amount you wish you to know."

"I have the feeling that there are memories I should be wary of."

He nodded. "There are. If I was to tell you of them now, you may worry in advance about viewing them."

"Probably." How serious were these memories?

"From your account of last night," he said slowly, "it seems that once you've been exposed to the memory, you suddenly recall having known it all along. This may mean the process of dealing with the emotion involved will be quicker."

"Then I shouldn't know in advance if it won't benefit me?" I asked, feeling confused now.

"Worrying unnecessarily about old memories isn't at all beneficial in my opinion," he said firmly, "especially if you're going to relive them to an extent anyway. We can't be sure if your mind will remind you that you already know."

I looked down at my hands, unsure what to do.

"It is, of course, your decision," he said quickly. "You may decide in a day or two, after reliving more memories, that you wish to know as much as I can tell you."

I nodded. "I'll think about it." I was worried about the more disturbing memories, so maybe it was best if I didn't know about them. I would be anxious about reliving them until it happened. "It's a difficult decision."

"It certainly is," he acknowledged. "But then, this is a most unusual situation."

We were silent for a moment. If I was going to refrain from knowing of the bad memories in advance, couldn't I know some of the other, less worrisome ones now?

"I'm certain I don't like my father," I said, watching him closely for his reaction.

"Neither of us can tolerate him," he said indifferently.

"And I didn't like my governess at all, Rougier…she was there when I stayed at Father's house." Saying all this made complete sense to me. I could see my father and Rougier in my mind.

"Rougier," said Snape, smirking, "is as you once said, _a painted old hag_."

I smiled. "I said that?"

"You did, with quite a lot of feeling."

I was silent, thinking of the awful woman. Another thought came to me, but I couldn't quite picture a face. "My mother," I said quietly. "I asked you about seeing her in one of my memories. I had the feeling in the dream that I liked her…do I like her?"

"Yes," Snape said softly, something flickering in his eyes, "you did like her. I am certain you felt quite strongly about her in fact."

My face fell. "Felt?" So she wasn't alive then. I'd had the understanding in my mind from my dream that she was dead, but I wanted to be sure. I was certain that my father was alive.

"She died when you were just over a year old."

"Oh." I looked away.

"You were able to converse with her for a time through a magical ring," he went on, "though I don't think describing it to you now would do it justice."

"I'll wait until I dream it then."

"If this method…," he paused and frowned, considering his words, "or no other method works in our favour to have your memories restored to you, then I will allow you to view my memories of events we've shared. That way, though the memory won't be yours, you'll at least have a _new_ memory of an_ old_ memory."

I couldn't help but stare at him in amazement. That was so generous. Memories were such precious, private things. I hadn't thought of Snape as being that…_kind_.

His expression was suddenly grim. "You're surprised at my offer."

"No, no, I'm not," I said quickly, feel mortified that I'd offended him. "I-"

He held a hand up for me to stop. "Forget it," he said, looking indifferent now.

"I haven't seen a lot of memories of you yet," I said earnestly. "I only had-"

"-Your much older memories of me to rely on," he finished. "No wonder you're surprised."

His guarded expression had come back so quickly. "This must be so hard for you," I said quietly.

The doorbell rang.

"Don't think of me," he said, standing up.

Before I could say another word, which I really wanted to, he opened the door. Standing in the doorway was Dumbledore, Lisa and Terry.

"Headmaster," Snape said, standing back to allow the party entrance. "Miss Turpin, Mr Boot."

"Good morning, Severus," said Dumbledore brightly, leading the way in. He walked directly over to me, my friends following closely behind, looking a little nervous.

They both looked pretty much the same to me. If either of them had changed in the past year or so, I couldn't really detect much. Perhaps Terry had gotten a little taller.

"And how are you this morning, Armilla?" Dumbledore asked kindly, taking my hand. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"I did," I answered.

"She's unwell," said Snape, closing the door.

Dumbledore shook his head. "How unfortunate. A cold? It's going around the castle at the moment. Madam Pomfrey took in ten students overnight."

"I think it's something more than that," Snape replied, eyeing me as he moved to stand next to Dumbledore. "Hopefully the potions will take effect before it develops into anything more."

"Oh, she was coughing a lot yesterday," said Lisa, who had suddenly forgotten her nerves. She looked over at Snape. "I don't think she thought much of it."

"I glad you remember," I muttered, looking away. It felt like I wasn't in the room. Here they were, discussing my health, and I had no memory of how I'd felt for most of the day before.

"Armilla." I looked up and recognised the warning look on Snape's face. I remembered it as the look he gave his Slytherins when they weren't toeing the line. "The Headmaster and I are going to go into the lab to discuss a few things. You are free to chat with your friends until we return."

I nodded. "Okay." I hadn't felt my mood change, but I knew it had. I wasn't at all inclined to make conversation and I wanted to be alone. _Ah, pity. You want to wallow in the pain of the loss of your memory._ So what if I did?

Snape nodded curtly and he and Dumbledore disappeared into his lab.

I looked back at Lisa and Terry, who were still standing in front of me, just staring at me.

"Are you just going to stand there?" I said impatiently. "There are seats here, you know. I'm not an exhibition."

Not looking at each other, each of them quickly sat down, Lisa next to me, and Terry in the armchair on the other side of me.

"We know you're not," said Lisa, pulling me into a hug. Being hugged suddenly brought tears to my eyes. Merlin, what was wrong with me?

"Then don't stare," I said grumpily, blinking away the tears when Lisa released me.

"Okay," said Terry cheerfully, folding his arms and looking at the ceiling. He started whistling.

"You're an idiot."

"Oh, do go on," he said, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Ignore him," said Lisa, rolling her eyes. She looked back at me. "I won't ask you how you are because I can only imagine how awful you must be feeling right now."

I nodded.

"Snape wants to ask me about what happened yesterday," she said. "It's got me all worried. Malfoy's a lunatic."

"We always knew that," said Terry, taking his eyes off the ceiling to look at her. "I'd say the events of yesterday confirm our belief of his madness."

"Something to do with a hinge," I said quietly.

Lisa nodded. "He really snapped after we saw it." She lowered her voice. "Your brother was absolutely furious when he caught us all duelling."

I nodded. "I remember _that_. I wondered why he looked so angry at me in particular."

"I bet you're finding it difficult being down here with him," said Terry, leaning forward and finally looking at me, "seeing as you don't remember him being your brother."

"I do now," I told them, "well sort of." I told them about my dream and how we thought it might be possible to get my memories back.

"But what if you don't dream about all of them?" Lisa asked. "Some might be stuck in your mind forever."

I shrugged. "I suppose Snape will go into my mind and attempt to find them."

They exchanged a glance.

"What?"

"Nah, it makes sense, of course," said Terry. "You're back to calling him Snape. We only hear you call him Severus now."

Lisa nodded. "It took you a long time to get used to it."

Terry gave a dry laugh. "And for us to get used to hearing it."

"Do I like living with him?" I whispered.

They both smiled.

"You do," Lisa whispered back. "You adore him."

Terry nodded. "Surprised?"

I shook my head. "Not really, Dumbledore told me that I loved him."

"You see a very different side of him," said Terry, looking serious. "We still see the Professor Snape we've always seen, but he's a parent to you now. You have a huge property in Derbyshire and a funny house elf named Docky and your bedroom is virtually the size of my house and-"

"-don't overload her with too much information," Lisa interrupted.

"I'm not. I'm only telling her the good things anyway."

"Snape thinks I should not know about the bad things before I see them in my dreams," I told them.

Terry nodded. "I think that's a good idea. Why worry about things you don't remember until you dream them?"

Lisa shook her head. "I disagree. I'd want to be prepared. I think it would be worse seeing them without the warning-"

"-yes, but who says my mind will remember the warning?" I challenged her.

"I…well, yes, I suppose you're right."

"So have there been any major changes with us I should know about?" I smiled at them, trying to suppress my bad mood.

They looked at each other and grinned.

"Ah, so you finally got together then?" I wasn't at all surprised. I remembered suspecting that it would happen sooner or later.

Terry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I thought, why not?"

Lisa laughed as she reached out to punch him playfully. "He's high maintenance, Mill."

"Am not."

I smiled again, thinking of nothing else to say.

Terry opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped when he heard the door of Snape's lab open. They hadn't spoken for very long. Just enough time, I supposed, for Snape to fill the Headmaster in on my dream.

"I must be going, as I have an appointment" said Dumbledore, as he came into the room, followed by Snape. He looked at me with a kindly expression. "I will come back to see you, Armilla."

I nodded. "Thank you." It was not really necessary. It was probably just my mood influencing me, but I didn't really have much conversation for Dumbledore either.

Dumbledore showed himself out, after a quiet word with Snape at the door.

"Well then, Miss Turpin," said Snape, after he had closed the door. "I would like to hear all you can remember of the events of yesterday afternoon. Don't leave any details out. The smallest thing may indeed be important." He sat down in the other armchair and looked expectantly at Lisa.

"Yes, sir," said Lisa, suddenly looking nervous again. She paused a moment. "I'm not sure where to start…oh, yes. It was just after Armilla saw that ghostly Merle and we went down to see you. We had-"

"What?" I exclaimed, as Snape shook his head in exasperation at Lisa. I looked over at him. "What's this? I saw a ghost yesterday and Dumbledore didn't explain it-"

"Armilla," said Severus quietly, "what you saw yesterday was not really a ghost, but a form of dark magic that assumes the appearance of Merle."

"It sucks away your magic," said Terry. "Lisa and I've had to-"

"Hold your tongue, Mr Boot!" Snape snapped.

"Sucks away my magic?" I repeated, alarmed. "Wait, can't I-"

Lisa reached out to take my hand. "Armilla-"

"No!" I said loudly, standing up. I tried to ignore the pain in my chest when I suddenly coughed. "Is this one of those memories I shouldn't know about until I dream it? Will I dream that my magic is being drained away? I don't want to wake up knowing it's true-"

"Armilla," Snape interrupted, giving me a stern look, "sit down."

I shook my head. "What else is there I should know? Maybe I should know things before-"

"Sit down!" said Snape sharply.

I didn't comply at once. I just stared at him, almost daring him to make me. It was like something had snapped inside me. Again, there was something inside me that wondered how far I could normally push him. I felt Lisa tug at my hand and I sat down heavily, looking at the floor. I held my breath to push away the need to cough. It didn't work.

"You have been seeing what appears to be a ghostly form of Merle," Snape said quietly, "which, as I said, is really a form of dark magic. Yes, it does try to draw magic from you and it has succeeded to a small degree at present. You still have a substantial amount of magic within you and we wish to keep it that way. You don't see Merle when you are accompanied by people and so at the moment you are following the necessary precaution that you are to be accompanied outside these rooms at all times."

"Who do you think is behind it?" I asked quietly, staring at the floor.

"I cannot be sure." He paused and I looked up at him. He was giving me another warning look. "I'll discuss it further with you when your memory returns."

"I'm sorry, I said too much," said Lisa, looking guiltily at Snape.

He narrowed his eyes. "Do on go, Miss Turpin."

"I would have found out anyway," I muttered, keeping my eyes trained on the floor again. I could feel Lisa's anxious eyes upon me.

"Miss Turpin?" Snape was getting impatient.

Lisa took and deep breath and began. "After you left us, we ran into Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle."

She proceeded to tell him all about how we'd ended up with our wands out, how Pansy mysteriously got injured and then how McGonagall showed up and escorted the lot of us to her office. After receiving no proper information, she'd apparently promised to deal with the situation and had dismissed us, sending Pansy to the hospital wing. Back in the corridor, Crabbe had lost his footing and landed on Malfoy, causing the hinge to fall from Malfoy's pocket.

"And that was when Malfoy completely lost it," said Lisa, looking relieved that she was nearing the end of her recount. "I asked him if he was building a cabinet and he took out his wand. We all started duelling and Malfoy was duelling with Armilla. He was also saying things to her, but I was so busy duelling that I couldn't hear exactly what he said. I do know that he tried to obliviate her several times. For some reason, it didn't seem to work at first."

"Yes," said Snape, nodding. "Thank you, Miss Turpin. I will be looking further into this."

"You don't think he'll try to obliviate me, do you?" Lisa suddenly asked, looking worried.

Snape shook his head. "No. The majority of the staff knows about the hinge now. I went back to the scene with Malfoy and found it there. He'd have too many memories to modify."

Lisa nodded, looking reassured.

Snape stood up. "I thank you both for coming down this morning. Perhaps you will come down again when Armilla is well again."

Lisa and Terry got up, nodding most fervently.

"Hope you feel better soon, Mill," said Terry, giving me a worried smile.

"We'll come back another day," Lisa told me, as Snape opened the door.

"Okay," I said quietly, also standing up. I wanted to go back to bed. I wanted to sleep for a few days and just dream. I wanted my memories back.

I left the room as Snape showed them out and went into my bedroom. I leaned against the closed door, taking in the room again. It was really a lovely room. I shook my head slightly and went about changing for bed. The strange owl, who was now pale yellow, was napping in her cage. I'd have to ask Snape about her.

Snape knocked just as I got into bed.

"Come in."

He came in, carrying a glass of water. "You need to keep drinking fluids," he said, handing me the glass. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "Okay, I suppose," I said, before drinking the water.

"An honest answer, if you please." He raised an eyebrow, looking sceptically at me. "It's an agreement you and I have, you see."

"My chest hurts a bit when I cough," I said quietly, looking away, "but not as much as before. My head feels a bit better though. The potions helped."

He nodded. "I think you should stay in bed for a few days and rest."

"Who is that?" I asked, pointing at the sleeping owl as I laid down.

"Morag," he said simply, glaring slightly at the owl. "I gave her to you last Christmas. She's a Metamorphmagus owl. She changes her size and colour at will and generally does her best to irritate me." He shook his head. "She is also alarmingly conceited."

I smiled, looking over at her. "Morag."

He gave me a thin smile. "Don't blame me for the name; _you_ named her that. You like her very much."

I was sure I did. I hoped I would dream of her soon. I also hoped I would dream of the previous Christmas. I wondered what it had been like to spend Christmas with Snape. What had I bought him for as a present?

"How did we find out that we were related?"

"Through your disregard of the rules put in place for you."

I stared at him and he shook his head, not looking as serious as I'd thought. "By chance," he said simply. "Again, it relates to the discovery of our mother, something I would rather you see for yourself when you dream it."

"Aren't you going to try and find my memories?" I asked, lying down. I was eager to see that particular memory.

"I will attempt it once," he answered, walking to the door. "I don't wish to tamper with your mind too much whilst you're unwell. You need the rest."

I hoped it would work. My dreams only allowed me to pull at the clouds that happened to be there. Hopefully, Snape would be able to go searching for a lot and pull them all apart.

Snape walked back to the door. "I'll come back when you're asleep and try my luck."

"Okay," I replied, rubbing my head. I rolled over and closed my eyes. I felt so exhausted.

o o o o o o o o o o o

_I was at home with Merle, sitting at the kitchen table. Merle was spreading jam on a freshly baked scone and I was pouring the tea._

_I was aware that there were clouds of various sizes in the room, but they were always there, weren't they? Rather funny they were too!_

"_Merle, there's a cloud in my tea," I commented._

_Merle just laughed as she spread even more jam on the scone. Wait! That wasn't a scone. That was a cloud!_

"_Merle, you're spreading jam on a cloud!"_

_I reached over and tried to pull the cloud from her hand. What a waste of good jam! As I pulled at the cloud, it broke it two. "Ow!" I clutched at me head. Suddenly I was somewhere else at the same time. I could see my friends._

"_You're lucky," Lisa grumbled. She was looking at a pamphlet about the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. "I have absolutely no idea what I want to do."_

"_You can be a Healer, like me, Lis," Terry told her. "We can both be Healer Boot."_

_Merle was grumbling about ruining a good scone. Honestly, didn't she know it was a cloud? Speaking of clouds, I still had one in my tea. I tapped it with my finger, holding my head at the same time. I could hear something! I leaned down and put my ear near my cup, wondering if burning it would be worth it to hear whatever was being said._

"_I didn't come in here for a friendly chat!" That was Snape's voice!_

_I heard my own, rather angry voice reply. "I'm not asking for a friendly chat!"_

_I leaned back again and swirled the cloud with my spoon until it disappeared. Was something drilling into my head? I could see a moving picture in the cup. Ha! That was funny! I looked closer and then suddenly I was in the cup! No, wait – I was in a bed somewhere. No, I knew where. I was in the Secret Wing at Hogwarts. Snape looked very irritated._

_I started talking again. "I deserve to know why I have this thing and I know you know something about it or you wouldn't try and avoid talking about it."_

_Hogwarts…_

_Merle…_

_Where's the jam gone?_

_Merle…_

_Dumbledore…_

_Cloud! Wait! Many clouds! I hadn't noticed those. Something was pushing me towards them. There was a big one nearby._

_I bumped into the big one. Oh my poor head…_

_I tried to stand back. Something else seemed to be pulling at the big cloud. With every pull I could see, I felt a dull thump in my head._

_I heard my father's voice._

"_You may as well come out, Armilla. The borders of these grounds are heavily warded. You have no chance of getting through them."_

_The pulling became more severe. I clutched at my head in pain._

"_My primary concern is for your safety, Armilla," Father went on. "I understand that you may be feeling frightened at the moment. I do hope you have only left the house because you were feeling desperate with the situation…I hope my company wasn't anything to do with it."_

_Suddenly the whole cloud came apart and vision after vision with sounds crashed into each other and then came flying at me, overwhelming me._

"_Do __I__ not have your love, my dear child?"_

"_Where is Madame Rougier?"_

"_Aguamenti__."_

"_I have been patient, Armilla. I do know where you are."_

_I was using the emerald on my bracelet to free myself. I was flying on a Thestral. I was using Fred and George's Knockout Powder on Rougier. I was refusing to eat dinner. Lucius Malfoy turned into my father. I was running through a forest as fast as I could._

"_Crucio!"_

_It was all too much! My head was going to explode, I was sure of it. I heard Father's voice, clear as a bell._

"_Had enough? __Crucio!__"_

_I screamed, clutching my head. Let me out of this! Bad cloud!_

"Armilla!"

Someone was shaking me. Don't shake me! My head hurt!

"Armilla!"

Letting out one last whimper I opened my eyes. I nearly jumped when I saw Snape staring back at me. His hands were closed around my wrists and he looked a little dishevelled. I tried to clear my foggy mind. Snape was in my bedroom…

_Your brother._ Yes! My brother. I'd been trying to escape from Father so I could get back to him.

I blinked a couple of times, looking around me. I was at the foot of my bed and the majority of the bedding was on the floor. Merlin, those dreams must have given me some exercise.

Snape released my wrists and I immediately brought them to my aching head, closing my eyes and moaning in pain. I heard him leave and go into his lab.

My head was going to explode. My father had kidnapped me. Rougier had been there. Why had I been in possession of Knockout Powder from the Weasley twins? I had duelled with my father and he'd used an Unforgivable on me! My head was throbbing; there was too much in it.

I barely heard Snape come back into the room. "Here," he said, using one hand to push my arms away from my head. "Drink this, it will help." He brought a glass of something to my lips and I took hold of it and drank. I handed it back and returned my hands to my head, lying down in the process.

"Déjà vu," I heard him mutter, as he picked up blankets from the floor.

The pain in my head receded, but I felt so nauseous. I kept my eyes shut and stayed still, willing the dizziness to go away. I remembered so much! Well, not really, but that whole memory was now with me. It wasn't Snape's fault that the memory had turned out to be an awful one. At least I had gotten away. I remembered the feeling of the Cruciatus Curse and shuddered.

I felt my blankets being placed back on the bed and I shivered, thinking I must have looked an awful sight to my brother right now. As I coughed again and winced at the pain, I felt sorry for him for having to put up with this.

"I'm sorry I managed to get that memory," he said quietly. I opened my eyes as he leaned over me and felt my forehead. "You weren't this feverish a moment ago when I entered your mind. I wouldn't have done it if I'd known it would raise your temperature this much."

"Nauseous," I groaned into my pillow. Though my eyes were closed, I felt like I was spinning.

I heard Snape leave and I tried to muffle a cough in an effort to avoid any more pain. He returned just a moment later. "I cannot give you a strong potion for the nausea," he said quietly, "because a stronger potion won't agree with the potion I just gave you. This will have to do. Sit up for a moment."

I sat up and blearily opened my eyes long enough to drink the potion, as well as the fever-reducing one he handed me after that. I hazily wondered if my sudden comfort with the man was due to my dreams or if I didn't have the will at the moment to be indignant and anxious.

Snape reached out a hand to stop me when I made to lie back down again. "One more, please. Dreamless Sleep."

I went to take it, but paused. "If I drink that I won't have dreams," I murmured, trying to clear my thoughts.

"Well done," he said dryly. "Here." He pushed the glass into my hand.

"But I want more memories," I insisted. "If I drink that, I won't have them."

Snape fixed me with a determined look. "Armilla, I am glad to have found that you and I are both capable of returning your memories to you. However, the pain of retrieving a memory is quite substantial, and I have no plan to keep going on this path at present, especially whilst you're unwell. Perhaps we'll risk it again when you're better, if we have found no alternate method."

I shook my head. "No." I wanted my memories!

Snape narrowed his eyes. "I wasn't inviting an argument, Armilla. I know your memories are important, but your health is even more so."

I shook my head again and held the glass out to him. "No."

He glared at me for a moment and then he sat on the bed next to me, taking the glass. He took out his wand and touched it against my arm. "_Termperaturis_."

I watched, waiting for the smoky numbers to rise from his wand, as I had seen when Merle had taken my temperature.

"There," he said harshly, when the numbers appeared. "39.1." He put his wand away, glaring at me. "I just gave you a fever-reducing potion, Armilla and it either hasn't taken effect yet or your fever was worse a minute ago. If I let you sleep without Dreamless Sleep, you may find another memory, which will cause you more head pain, which will increase your fever. There is only so much a fever-reducing potion can do. It is up to you to help it take effect by resting properly." He leaned forward, making sure he had my attention. "Of course, if you _refuse_ to drink this potion, you may find plenty of memories, but chances are your fever will reach a dangerous level and I _assure _you, Armilla, that _then_ we'll have far more to worry about."

He leaned back, his narrowed black eyes still fixed on my now teary ones. Merlin, he knew how to intimidate…or talk sense, it would seem.

I reached for the glass, breaking the eye contact. He sighed as I took the glass from him and watched as I drank it all.

"Thank you," he said, taking the glass back.

My eyes closed of their own will and I wasn't inclined at all to fight it.

o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Yes, I'm back! I know, I know, such a long time between updates. I came back a month ago after spending a month in France, Monaco, the UK and Ireland (I went into J.K Rowling's coffee shop in Edinburgh – one of the highlights of my trip! I was also just up the street when Dan, Rupert and Emma were filming DH in Piccadilly Circus – if only I'd known!) and I've just finished writing semester reports…one of the cons of being a teacher. Writing the next chapter (as it's constantly been on my mind) was the next priority and I thought I'd update in celebration of Armilla's (and my) birthday on June 10. I've constantly worked on this chapter for over a week and am rather glad to have it finally posted.

I'm hoping the next chapter will be out in less than a week. This chapter was supposed to have a lot more in it, but as it was getting long, I've cut out a few (rather important) scenes that will instead appear in the next chapter.


	24. I Remember You

**Chapter 24**

I did not wake up in good spirits. As I groggily opened my eyes, I felt the rush of nausea that I'd had earlier, not to mention yet another headache. I groaned, rubbing my head as I looked at the clock.

5:21pm. Goodness, I had slept most of the day away. I rolled onto my back, grimacing in pain when the movement caused me to cough. My head felt cloudy, like I wasn't really awake. Ha, with all the dreams I'd been having, it was mind-boggling to separate the reality and the _memories_ of reality.

I would have been happy to lie there, if I hadn't had the urgent need for the bathroom. Slowly, I got up and sat on the side of my bed. That movement alone made my head feel like it had steel marbles rolling around in it. I got up and stumbled slightly, reaching for my bedside table to steady me. I coughed again, wincing at the burning sensation this caused. Where had I caught this?

Holding onto any furniture available, I made my way into the bathroom. I was determined to avoid the mirror, as previous experience had taught me that it was not a good idea to view one's reflection during illness. The mirror gave me a comment anyway, making me feel perfectly at ease.

"Argh, what a dreadful complexion. What colour would you call that?"

I ignored it. Before I went back to my bedroom, I found a facecloth and soaked it in cold water. I leaned over the basin, sighing as I brought it to my face. The cooling sensation lasted no more than fifteen seconds, when the cloth became warm.

Throwing it aside, I made my way back to my bed and sat down, feeling slightly short of breath. I had no inclination to go back to sleep; I'd just spent hours sleeping. My head didn't feel so bad now that I was sitting up.

I wondered where Snape was. I wanted more potions and soon. Holding onto the bedpost, I pulled myself up and stood there, leaning my head against it. If I went to Snape for potions, he'd probably make me go back to bed. He'd give me a Dreamless Sleep potion again.

I didn't want Dreamless Sleep again. The pain in my head was worth it to get my memories back. I hated feeling like I didn't know who I was. I had found some comfort with the man for some reason, which I assumed came from my memories, but I still felt like I didn't know him. It irked me that he probably knew a lot about me. He'd been my guardian for a year, after all.

I looked down at my bed. I could just go back to sleep now so I could find some more memories. My head was aching, but it was worth risking it. It would still hurt when I woke up again, so what difference would it make? Snape would never know that I'd woken up and gone back to sleep without the help of Dreamless Sleep. Unless he'd heard the toilet flush…damn.

I decided to risk it. Instead of seeking Snape out for potions, I climbed back into bed, trying to suppress my coughs. The ache in my head renewed itself as I laid down and it seemed that, even with my eyes closed, the spinning sensation in my head was unlikely to stop any time soon.

Because of the nausea, it took a lot longer to fall asleep. I dozed for a little while, never properly falling asleep. I was starting to wonder if it was fate telling me that I was doing the wrong thing…

o o o o o o o o o o

_Packing for school wasn't one of my favourite things to do. I never seemed to pack the right amount; it was either too much or too little._

"_Armilla! Are you finished yet?" I heard Merle call._

"_Nearly!" I called back, picking up the last few books. As I put them into my trunk, they turned in clouds! I frowned. That was strange. I'd heard of Astronomy books doing strange things like that, but these weren't Astronomy books. I purposely kept a minimal amount of those. Hmm…_

_I reached for the clouds and pulled them back out. I certainly had a headache; perhaps I had been at this too long. That was funny! The clouds had turned back into books again. Rolling my eyes, I put them back into the trunk, not surprised this time when they turned into clouds once more. Silly things._

_I reached up to pull the lid down. It wouldn't close! The clouds were growing bigger and bigger – no wonder the lid wouldn't close!_

"_Oy!" I said, poking one of them. Ouch! Why was my head being punished for that? I kept poking all the more, ignoring the stabs of pain this gave my head. I was more concerned about finishing packing. I didn't want to miss the train._

_Finally, I just decided to get in the trunk and sit on the clouds in the hope they would all burst. They seemed to have a bubble-like texture._

_Bang! Bang! Was I hearing those bangs or was it the banging happening in my head? Either way all the clouds had burst open and I was showered with sounds and images. Everywhere I looked I could see things I remembered._

_There was one where Snape was handing me a pearl, giving me instructions on how to use it. _

"_Yes, sir," I said quietly, trying to undo the clasp. I wasn't meaning to look clumsy, but I couldn't quite manage it with all the plasters on my fingers. I couldn't even bend most of them properly._

"_Here," said Snape, irritably, snatching the chain from me and doing it up around my neck._

_The ring! My mother's ring! There it was! I touched the puddle-like substance inside the ring, and like before, my mother's face came into view. When she saw me, her face lit up._

"_Hello, my child."_

"_Hi."_

_There was the ring again! I was talking to my mother again._

"_MISS KEMP! What are you doing down here?"_

_Damn it! Damn. Damn. Damn. What a time to interrupt. Oh, was I going to be in trouble now…_

_I looked around at Snape, who was standing in the doorway, seething with rage._

"_Answer wisely, Miss Kemp," he spat. "You are in deep trouble. How dare you come down here and-"_

_I giggled. I remembered that day well…_

_Memory after memory came and went, and with each one my head suffered more. I cringed when I saw the inside of my bathroom in my bedroom in the dungeons._

_I crouched down beside the toilet and covered my face with my hands._

"_I am not sure what to say to you, Armilla," Severus said, his voice just above a whisper._

_I shook my head. "I'm sorry," I said, shuddering. "I didn't…I don't…" I trailed off, wiping my eyes._

_He reached over and pulled me towards him. "What's the matter with you today?" he murmured in my ear as he wrapped his arms around me._

_That felt nice. I remembered that. That didn't happen anymore…_

_I clutched my head, moaning in pain. Was it hot in here?_

"Armilla."

I covered my ear with my hand. No more sound. My head hurt.

I felt a hand pull my own hand away from my ear. "Armilla, open your eyes."

Huh? Wasn't I still standing in my trunk?

Apparently not. As I opened my eyes, I realised I was actually on the floor of my bedroom…again. Through my blurry vision, I could see that Snape was kneeling beside me, a potion in his hand.

I blinked a few times, bringing my hands to my eyes to block out the light. Oh my head…

"Drink this, quickly now," I heard Snape saying, pushing the glass into my hand. "Your fever is far too high."

I drank it down, barely noticing the taste. I tried to get up, feeling embarrassed at being found on the floor this time, but Snape reached down to stop me.

"No, stay there for a moment."

The silence that followed was welcomed. I kept my head in my hands, my eyes closed, hoping the room would stop spinning when I opened them. My chest still hurt…like it was burning.

Within a few minutes, the throb in my head had become a dull pain. Feeling better, I opened my eyes and held on to the side of the bed to pull myself up. Snape got up too, his eyes on my face, his expression calculating.

"Feeling better?" There was something icy in his tone.

I nodded. "Yes…thank you."

He nodded curtly. "Been dreaming, I take it?" Yes, there was _definitely_ an edge to his voice.

Again, I nodded. "Yes." My voice didn't sound as confident as I would have liked.

"Funny," he said, narrowing his eyes, "I'm sure I left you sleeping under the effects of Dreamless Sleep. Seeing as I made the dangers of sleeping without it _perfectly_ clear to you, I am_ sure_ that if you had woken up, you wouldn't have _purposely_ gone back to sleep…I couldn't accept dozing off again, seeing as Dreamless Sleep generally ensures that the user is wide awake once it wears off."

I said nothing. Guilt was creeping up inside me. Also, I was nervous of the man's reaction.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Well then?"

Again, I said nothing. I was sure I was going to be in trouble if I answered or not.

"Did you, or did you not," he said dangerously, his black eyes glinting, "_deliberately _go back to sleep, with the intent of viewing more memories?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Damn my lack of nerve! Where had it gone?

"Answer me at once," he snapped.

Biting my lip, I nodded.

"A _verbal_ answer, Armilla."

"Yes," I whispered. "I did."

He shook his head at me, clearly furious. "You do realise now that I am going to have to monitor your sleeping habits far more closely? Trust is a valuable thing, Armilla. I had thought you more sensible than this."

I looked away, shuddering as I tried unsuccessfully to blink away tears.

"Don't get upset," he said, looking irritated.

"Don't get upset!" I exclaimed, looking back at him. "You try losing _your_ memory and see how _you_ like it! It's not much fun, you know."

There silence that followed this did nothing for the sudden feeling of unease inside me, which had nothing to do with being ill.

As it was, I tried not to cringe as Snape's expression turned even more dangerous. "Speak to me like that _again_," he said, his voice low, "and I _assure_ you that you will be a _very_ sorry young lady."

I wiped away my tears, feeling embarrassed at what I'd just said to him. At the same time, my frustration was growing at an alarming rate. I was ready to yell at anyone and anything for the sake of it. I knew I should apologise. Everything was my fault, but my frustration with the entire situation won over all other concerns.

I sat down heavily on my bed, coughing in the process and wincing at the burning it caused. Crying over something I'd caused was both embarrassing and ridiculous…and yet I continued to do it.

"Stop this," said Snape, walking into my bathroom. "You'll make yourself more unwell."

"I don't care," I muttered.

I wasn't sure if he'd heard me, but he didn't reply. He came out a moment later, holding the cloth I'd used earlier. He took out his wand and cast a charm on it to keep it cool. Why hadn't I thought of doing that? I was a witch; I should have thought to do that before! Any other time this might not have mattered to me, but right now, it seemed every little thing did. The sight of the cloth made me feel stupid and it brought fresh tears forth, making me turn away from him when he approached me.

"Here," he said, dropping it in my lap. "Make use of it. I'm going to retrieve some potions."

Something about his manner seemed so cold. It was the Potions Master I remembered, but not the one I was used to in my own mind now. Now that I'd had more dreams about him, I felt so very differently about him. It hurt to have him be so frosty, but then, I had made him angry. It was my fault.

I used the cloth to wipe my face and I leaned over, resting my face in my hands and the cloth. It stayed cool. I suppressed another shudder. I wasn't sure what I was feeling upset about now, my own frustration or Snape's anger. The memory of being in his arms on the sofa kept replaying in my mind, clear like it had happened just yesterday. It was strange that the angry man across the hall was the same one as in that memory.

"Sit up," he ordered, upon entering the room again. He sat down on the bed next to me and as I sat up, he started the process of passing me potions to drink. I noticed that there was a tray of plain food hovering next to him. He was silent whilst I drank them and once I was finished, he used his wand to direct the empty glasses back into the lab. I wondered why he hadn't given me any Dreamless Sleep. Perhaps he thought I'd slept enough.

He reached for the tray and placed it on my lap. "I will be back momentarily," he said shortly. "In the meantime you are to eat as much of this as you can-"

I started to argue. "But I'm not-"

He held up a hand to stop me, glaring as he did. "And before you say you aren't hungry, I must insist that you at least try and eat some of it." Without waiting for an answer, he got up and left the room without a backwards glance.

I was sure the feeling I had in the pit of my stomach had nothing to do with my illness. It wasn't quite guilt, but something else…

Slowly, I reached for some bread and began to eat it. It took forever to eat one slice; forcing food down when you weren't hungry was not enjoyable in the least. The ache in my head had lessened considerably, thanks to the much stronger potion, but the nausea and chest pain especially were still there. By the time Snape returned, not fifteen minutes later, I had finished one slice of bread and some apple slices and had placed the tray on the bedside table. I was ready to refuse to have any more of it.

I said nothing as Snape came in, as his expression was still stony. Perhaps he had left me alone for fifteen minutes so we could avoid saying things we'd regret. I wondered how often we went through experiences like this. That memory I'd relived had shown one episode, but in that one I'd been upset about being separated from him. Was I really that clingy or had that been because of the kidnapping? It seemed strange to imagine myself clinging to Snape and yet, at the same time, something inside me could understand it. It was most confusing.

"Had enough, I suppose?" he asked, nodding at the tray.

"Yes," I said, probably more abruptly than I should have. I chewed on my lip, looking away.

"You may be feeling ill, Armilla, but I don't appreciate your blatant lack of civility."

Merlin, he was right. I was being so rude. He didn't deserve it, and yet there was something inside me making me say these things all the same. I was going barmy, I was sure of it.

"How often do I do this?" I asked quietly.

His frown deepened. "Do what?"

My voice was shaking when I answered. "Display my vast amount of lunatic tendencies."

I thought I saw the slightest hint of bemusement flash across his face. If it_ had_ been there, it was gone a split second later.

"I saw an example of one in my memory," I went on, shuddering again as I stared at the floor. "Not long after escaping from Father. I didn't want you to leave." I looked over at him, my voice wavering again. "I'm sorry if I do this all the time. I don't remember being so loony before."

Snape shook his head, sitting down on my bed again. "Don't be ridiculous."

His reply did nothing to appease me. I coughed and looked away.

"You would have to have all your memories back in order to understand the actions you speak of," he said quietly. "_Loony_, as you put it, does not come into the equation. The past year has held a significant amount of emotional upheaval for you. The memory you speak of cannot be judged out of context. I know you remember the event preceding it, but your actions at the time suggested something more about the nature of our relationship."

I stared at him, looking into his black eyes, taking in the stern face. I was itching to move closer to him, as I knew I'd like it from reliving the memory, but at the same time, I didn't have the nerve. He was still angry with me, I was sure.

"To answer your question, though," he went on, interrupting my thoughts, "I very rarely see indecorous behaviour from you…the loony side you speak of, however, is not worth addressing at all."

I wasn't sure what to say to this. I was prevented from saying anything more when Severus continued.

"- Which is why I find this defiance from you quite out of character. You_ knew_, Armilla, how I felt about you sleeping without Dreamless Sleep at the moment. You _knew_ the danger it was to your health." He shook his head, his eyes narrowed. "And yet you found it quite all right to risk it."

I had. Though my head had suffered for the decision, I couldn't bring myself to admit that it hadn't been worth it. I would do it again. Suffering the displeasure of Snape wasn't great fun though.

"You don't regret it," he said simply. It wasn't a question.

Slowly, I shook my head. "That's how badly I want my memories back," I said softly. "My head already ached. I decided it couldn't get much worse."

Again, he shook his head. "Armilla, I believe that's one of the silliest things you have ever said to me."

I looked away. That shouldn't have hurt, but it did. The sudden lump in my throat proved it.

"Look at me, please."

The general feeling of irritation seemed to be building again. Trying to swallow the lump, I looked over at him, trying to disguise my peevishness.

Snape lifted his hand, and for a moment I thought he was reaching out for mine, but he seemed to think better of it. "I understand that you want your memories back," he said, clasping his hands in his lap. "But nothing is more important than your mind remaining healthy, even having your memories back. Overheating the brain through a high temperature can be extremely dangerous."

"I _know_ that," I said heatedly, unable to hide my peevishness now. Honestly, I wasn't stupid. "I wouldn't have done it if I'd thought the fever was that bad."

"Oh, do excuse my ignorance," he said scathingly, his eyes flashing in anger. "I must have missed the ceremonial event of the obtainment of your Healer's licence. I'd quite forgotten that you know best on such matters."

I nearly threw something at him. As it was, I clenched the blankets beneath me in an effort to channel my anger.

Seeming to feel my anger, Snape stood up, his expression back to one of indifference. "I see we are not going to get very far on this subject."

I shook my head.

He sighed. "Come, get into bed."

Complying, seeing as I had no objection to this, I edged over to the head of my bed.

"You are to stay in bed at least until your fever is gone."

I nodded. Snape actually looked tired to me. A pang in my heart told me that I was responsible for it. A little bit of guilt crept into my mind.

He looked back at the books on my desk. "I have some potions to brew for the next few hours. Would you like a book to pass the time?"

"Pass the time?" I repeated, my eyes on the books on my desk. None of them looked familiar to me. "You're not giving me Dreamless Sleep, then?"

"No," he answered, rather abruptly, "I am not, for now at least."

"What do you mean?"

He considered me for a moment before answering. "You need rest. You don't require constant sleep. Staying in bed and resting will suffice. I will give you something to help you sleep at bedtime."

I stared at him. "And what if I fall asleep while I'm reading?"

He shook his head. "You won't." He turned and walked to my desk.

"How do you know that?"

He turned around at my desk, his expression closed. "Because it will not happen again."

I frowned. Something didn't quite add up here. He was quite happy to leave me in my room while he went to brew potions. I was perfectly capable of falling asleep and dreaming once again. Unless…

Suddenly I saw red. "You made sure of it!"

Snape held up a hand to stop me. "Armilla-"

"No!" I said loudly, getting up, coughing in the process. "You added something to one of those potions! You were making sure that I wouldn't sleep!"

"Armilla-"

"You're certainly one to talk of_ trust_!"

He took a step forward, looking livid. "Armilla-"

I was having none of it. "How can I trust _you_? Why would I drink anything else you give me now-"

"Enough!" he snapped, advancing towards me.

This time I actually took a step back, shrinking back against the wall. The look on his face did frighten me this time. There was only a small space between us and I knew I wasn't about to escape the wrath I probably deserved. I could see why he had added something to the potion, but I still felt justified in being angry about it.

Something suddenly flickered in Snape's eyes. He stared back at my recoiling form and the look of fury on his face changed into one of suppressed shock.

The silence in the room was unbearable. Each of us was shaking, eyes locked on the other. Finally, Snape took a step back, followed by another. Then, he turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him.

It was some time before I moved. My focus remained on the closed door, waiting for him to return. Shaking terribly, I straightened up and crawled into bed. I didn't need to retrieve a book; I had something far more worthwhile in mind to pass the time, something I did well – I sobbed.

o o o o o o o o o o o

I spent hours doing virtually nothing except feel sorry for myself. Sometimes I was crying for my lost memories, sometimes it was because Snape had stopped me from viewing them, sometimes it was simply because I didn't feel well and the rest of the time I had no idea why.

I couldn't see a positive in all this. Sometimes I felt okay about Snape, almost relaxed, but then, in the space of seconds, I could feel the opposite. Having him angry at me was extremely unsettling, more unsettling than the anger I felt in return towards him.

Where was the happiness in all this? I wasn't allowed to go anywhere alone, and at the moment, I had to stay in Snape's quarters. Snape wouldn't let me get my memories back, which meant I wasn't likely to get out of his rooms for a long time. The worst part was, Merle wasn't around to talk to. I wanted her so badly.

I rolled onto my back at stared at the canopy above me. Snape had told me not to doubt that I was a burden to him. I even remembered him once telling me that I wasn't a burden. I remembered going to our house, on the Merrigan Estate, with him. I remembered the pink cupcake he'd conjured for my birthday, and the small diamond earrings he'd given me, one Merle's and one his. I remembered kissing him and feeling sincere in my thanks. This was the same man who had walked out a few hours before? Had I really pushed him that far? I'd been so angry…I was _still_ angry.

I chewed my lip, running my fingers along my bracelet. I remembered Snape opening the locket and seeing the proof that I was his sister. I remembered a couple of the occasions when he had touched the bracelet and I'd felt warmth rush through me.

I sighed, the tears starting again. I was quite certain that wherever Snape was at the moment, he was probably questioning the value he placed upon his guardianship. Since I'd lost my memory, I hadn't been the pleasantest of people, no matter whose fault it was.

I coughed as I rolled onto my side. With all the congestion I had, it was uncomfortable lying on my back. I stared at my bracelet, running my fingers along the silver chain. I remembered using it to free me when Father had kidnapped me.

I ran my finger over the emerald, and as I did so, I let out a gasp of surprise. Sitting up, I peered closely at the gem. The clarity of it was completely different to what I remembered; it looked a little foggy to me. How long had it been like this? It had looked normal when I had freed myself from Father's hideout house.

I shakily let out a breath, trying to view the emerald in different lights. It was quite dull, no matter which way I looked at it. Did this mean something? Did it say something about my life perhaps…the loss of my memories? Would it become clearer when I retrieved more memories…_if_ that ever happened...

I sighed again. Excellent. Yet another thing to worry about. I got up and went to the bathroom, holding onto things around me for support as I went. Damn dizziness. Once again I ignored the less than flattering remarks from the mirror. When I came back into my bedroom, I could hear hushed voices coming from the sitting room. I couldn't catch everything that was being said, but I was pretty sure that Dumbledore was out there with Snape. I went to the door, knowing it was wrong, but wanting to hear what was being said all the same.

"-can't expect her to always be perfect in every way." Yes, that was definitely Dumbledore's voice. "I will admit that you've been fortunate in being guardian to a child with a responsible and agreeable disposition. Armilla does have the tendency to sometimes make you forget how young she is, Severus, but you must remember that she is just sixteen years old."

"I am perfectly aware of how old she is, Headmaster," came the curt reply.

"Have you stopped to think about how vulnerable she is at the moment?"

"Of course I have!"

"Well then," came a third voice, which I recognised as Madam Pomfrey's, "you must be perfectly aware that Armilla's not likely to be herself for some time."

"Thank you for stating the obvious-" 

"Don't interrupt me, Severus Snape!"

"Keep your voice down, Poppy," Dumbledore said mildly.

I heard Madam Pomfrey sigh. "I'll flatter myself, Severus, that I have slightly more experience on these matters than you do."

"What? On memory loss?"

"No, on the temperament of teenage girls!"

"I've taught teenage girls for many years now, Poppy, so I'd appreciate-"

"Yes, _taught_ them, Severus, but you haven't _cared_ for them, especially when they were ill. No one expects you to be perfect at this."

"I wasn't aware of any judgement," he said snidely.

"You know what I mean, Severus! If anyone is judging at the moment, I can guarantee you that it's your sister. From what you've told me, she couldn't possibly be sure of your character, and yet she has the understanding that she's relied on you for all forms of support in the past year. I expect she'd be looking for those signs, not only in her memories, but in the support you offer her now."

This was met with silence. I knew I shouldn't be listening, but I couldn't move away. Had Snape asked the two of them for advice?

"I am sure Severus has offered her comfort, Poppy," said Dumbledore, quietly.

Nothing was said for a moment. Perhaps they were communicating through their expressions. Maybe Snape was giving Dumbledore an irritated look. At length, I heard my brother's voice again.

"She may not want it if I offer it," he said gruffly.

There was surprise in Dumbledore's tone. "You fear rejection? Can you recall a time Armilla didn't welcome it, Severus?"

"It's different now. She's-"

"She's the same girl, I assure you, Severus," said Madam Pomfrey, "merely frightened, I expect."

I shook my head. No, I wasn't.

"You say she's been feverish?" The nurse's tone was much gentler now.

"Yes, it becomes higher when her memories are retrieved," he said abruptly. "As she _knows_."

"Severus," said Dumbledore, "do consider-"

"Consider what, Headmaster? Her newfound will to be headstrong and impetuous? Loss of memory does not generally produce new personality traits."

I bit my lip. That hurt.

"For Merlin's sake, Severus!" Madam Pomfrey hissed. "Are you really that blind? You just said yourself that the girl has been feverish! Combine that with her memory loss and you'll have one very befuddled child!"

Hey! I wasn't befuddled! Well, maybe a little bit…

Snape didn't answer.

"You can be so daft sometimes, Severus," came the nurse's cross voice. "You know yourself that a high fever can cause irrational thoughts and actions. I assume that Armilla has already displayed quite a range of emotional outbursts?"

Again, there was no answer. I knew the answer myself perfectly well.

Madam Pomfrey sounded disapproving when she spoke again. "Funny that."

"Perhaps I am not cut out for dealing with this sort of situation."

"Who would be, Severus?" she said, softly. "There is a lot of anger and frustration in the air from this, I assume, from both of you. You're both dealing with a situation that gives rise to a display of raw emotion."

I turned away, not wanting to hear any more of it. I shouldn't have been listening anyway. I got back into bed again, feeling exhausted for no reason once again. It was now just after eight-thirty. I wondered if Snape would come in with Dreamless Sleep soon.

Snape was doubting his ability to care for me…I fought back the lump in my throat as I realised how much I'd been to blame. Thinking back, though he'd been irritated, he had been trying hard to care for me. My own frustration had not made me good company.

I heard a sudden hooting and shrank back as Morag flew over to me. She landed next to me on the bed and then calmly stared up at me. She was the exact shade of Ravenclaw blue, which didn't stop me being nervous of her. I had not yet viewed many memories of her.

"Hi," I whispered, as she continued to stare at me.

She blinked in response and then turned Slytherin green.

I shook my head. "Not very flattering at all, I think."

She hooted and then started hopping about on my lap.

I merely watched her, wondering how much she really understood. Magical creatures were funny things.

After watching her hop about for a couple of minutes, I shrank back again when she suddenly let out a piercing hoot and flapped her wings, blinking back at me.

What did she want? She continued to hoot loudly until I reached out a hand towards her, hoping she wouldn't nip at it. She stopped the noise as soon as my hand touched her soft feathers. After a few seconds, her eyes closed and she let out a peaceful hoot, turning Ravenclaw blue once more.

"Strange thing," I whispered, continuing to stroke her. She really did enjoy attention. She only opened her eyes when I stopped the stroking to cough instead.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

It opened and I looked up to see Madam Pomfrey step in, giving me what she must have thought was a motherly smile as she did so. "Good evening, Armilla," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," I said quietly, continuing to stroke Morag.

"Are you really sure about that? I've been informed that you've been quite unwell."

I nodded. Why did she need to ask me then?

"Severus is in his lab just now," she went on, sitting in the armchair next to my bed. "He's finishing off some stronger potions for you. He suspects that you're developing pneumonia. He's asked me to confirm this for him."

I stopped stroking Morag and looked over at the nurse. "Why can't he do that himself?" I asked.

Madam Pomfrey's smile faltered for a moment. "Oh, he's run a few diagnostic spells whilst you've been sleeping," she said. "He just wants a second opinion."

I shook my head. When did Snape ever require a second opinion?

She seemed to read my thoughts. "Your body hasn't been responding to the potions as well as it should have," she said, smiling again. "Severus wants to be sure that it is pneumonia before he gives you something much stronger."

"Oh." I wasn't sure I believed it. "I had pneumonia years ago," I said vaguely, thinking of how I'd spent over a week in bed when I was seven. It hadn't been much fun and I'd felt…pretty similar to how I felt now.

Biting back any impatient remarks that readily sprang to mind, I let Madam Pomfrey carry out her spells, ignoring her soft clucking when her spells gave results she didn't like. I answered every question regarding my health, even when they seemed too personal.

"Well then," she said, finally, putting her wand away. "You can be sure that it is pneumonia, but only a mild case, luckily. You must remain in bed and rest as much as possible."

I nodded, wanting her to take her leave so I could enjoy my own company again. Even Morag seemed to be tiring of her. Madam Pomfrey had made me send her back to her cage and she had been hooting indignantly since.

Instead of getting up to leave, Madam Pomfrey fixed me with a motherly expression again. "The pneumonia aside, Armilla, how have you been feeling?"

Ah, now it was coming out. I didn't need a counselling session. "Fine," I said, looking her in the eye and giving her an indifferent expression.

"Are you comfortable here?"

"Perfectly so."

"What about your relationship with your brother? Are you finding him agreeable?"

"Of course."

Madam Pomfrey frowned at me. "Armilla, I believe you are just humouring me."

"I would never do that," I said smoothly. I wasn't going to tell her a thing.

She sighed. "Listen to me, Armilla. This is going to keep building up inside you unless you choose to talk about it. If you don't wish to speak to me, perhaps I can arrange-"

"I know my mind well enough," I said calmly. "I can speak to…" _Say it! Say his name!_ "I can speak to Severus if I need to."

She looked doubtful. "_Can_ you?"

"Of course," I said again. "Why wouldn't I be able to talk to him if I needed to?"

She hesitated. "Well, I thought…" she trailed off, clearly not knowing what she thought or else choosing not to express it aloud.

She stood up. "Well then," she said, smoothing out her apron. "I'll go and retrieve your potions from Severus so that you can sleep-"

I frowned. "Why can't Severus give them to me?"

"He's busy finishing off those potions, dear-"

"Then I'll wait for him. Thank you anyway."

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "I cannot be sure how much longer he'll be, Armilla. It's best for you to sleep now and then see him in the morning."

I shook my head. "No, I'll wait." I was still feeling hurt that Madam Pomfrey had been sent into the room to coax me into talking to her. Perhaps it had been her idea, but having her around made me realise how much I wanted Severus.

Severus…_Severus_. It sounded okay in my mind. I wanted to see him before I went to sleep. I wanted to know that he didn't think I was a different person. The thought of it made my chest hurt all the more. I didn't know whether it was the illness or the memory loss, but I seemed to get upset over ridiculous things.

"Armilla," the nurse said sternly, "I am trying to be patient."

"I know that!" I snapped, coughing as I did so and feeling my head spin. "I am happy to wait. I_ told_ you that."

"Well, I am afraid you don't always get to choose what you want to do," she said firmly, also folding her arms. "In this case you shall do as I say."

I glared at her.

She sighed again. "Armilla, you don't need to be this aloof. If it's a question of pride-"

"I am not being aloof!" I had just stopped myself from yelling. All the same, I had probably been loud enough for Severus to hear. "Why would I confide a stranger?"

Madam Pomfrey looked taken aback. "I am no stranger, Armilla-"

"Well, you're not my mother either, so-"

"Thank you, Poppy," came a stern voice from the doorway. "You may leave us now."

We both paused as we looked over to the doorway where Severus was standing, a few potions in his hands. His eyes flittered from me to Madam Pomfrey, his expression unfathomable. He must have heard me then.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head at Severus. "You can be assured that she's the same girl, Severus," she huffed. "She is, without a doubt, your sister. Your dispositions are incredibly alike."

"Thank you," he said graciously, inclining his head. "And the diagnosis?"

"As you thought," she said, glancing back at me with an anxious frown, "she has the early stages of pneumonia. I would give her those stronger potions you suggested earlier."

"I shall," he replied, nodding.

"And ensure she gets plenty of rest," she added, moving to the door.

"I intend to." He stood back so she could pass.

Madam Pomfrey turned around to face me, looking resigned. "Well, goodbye then, Armilla. Though I am sure you will not seek it, my office is always open to you."

"Thank you," I said quietly, feeling a little bad. Honestly, I had done nothing except feel bad for my treatment of other people since I'd lost my memory.

She turned and left, and Severus followed her out. I assumed he was seeing her out. Upon hearing the door close, I waited for him to come back in. I heard his footsteps, but they carried him into his lab. Perhaps he was retrieving the potions Madam Pomfrey had been talking of.

Ten minutes later there was still no sign of him and I was left contemplating two possible reasons why: either he was still finishing off those potions, or he still had no desire to see me. Twenty minutes later I was quite certain that it was the latter. I didn't feel well and I wanted to sleep, but I didn't dare do it this time without the Dreamless Sleep. Perhaps I would have to ask Severus for it. Severus…somehow it didn't feel odd using the name.

I got out of bed and immediately held onto the side of it to clear my head of dizziness. I slowly made my way to the door, pausing when I reached it to catch my breath. I went across the hall, where I found the door open and heard the sound of a bubbling cauldron. As I stood in the doorway, I saw Severus leaning over a cauldron, a look of intense concentration on his face. His lips were moving slightly as he stirred, counting the number. He had noticed my presence though, for a moment later his other hand beckoned me forward.

I moved into the room and stopped at the end of the bench, leaning on it for support. Walking from my bedroom had been tiring enough.

I watched him in silence for several minutes. The potion he was making was clearly a very intricate one. When he finished it, it was a most offensive bright pink.

"I must ask why you are out of bed," Severus said, after he'd extinguished the flame. He still didn't look at me. He went about bottling the potion and using his wand to put away the ingredients.

"To get Dreamless Sleep from you," I replied quietly.

"I was coming back to you just now," he said, closing the door of the cupboard, "but I stopped to check in on the potion first and it had reached a point where I preferred not to let it simmer without supervision. That's the disadvantage of using dried Billywig stingers; though they're excellent for clearing the worst of congestion, they can be unpredictable in the brewing process. The batch I used must have been from immature Billywigs, seeing as the potion required stirring sooner than I expected."

"That's for me then?" I asked, eyeing the bright pink concoction. It seemed the usual vivid blue of Billywigs had held no influence over the colour.

He nodded. "It's an experiment, actually. I had to make a decision regarding what was more important. I could continue to give you the weaker potions plus the Dreamless Sleep and hope that rest and time would aid in healing you. My other choice is to try this stronger potion, which has a variation of Dreamless Sleep in it. You cannot take both potions as this stronger one doesn't agree with all the ingredients in the original Dreamless Sleep."

"What would happen?"

"The potion would strengthen the Dreamless Sleep and could induce a temporary coma."

"Oh."

"So the experiment," he went on, examining the pink liquid, "is in regards to how long you sleep without dreams whilst under the effect of this potion. The Dreamless Sleep element isn't as strong and therefore could wear off before the effect of the potion does."

I wished he would look at me. "So, I may start dreaming then?"

He nodded. "The potion has a strong effect on keeping fevers at bay, but it will be tested if you begin to dream before you wake. In any case, I'll be staying awake tonight to monitor your sleep anyway. I need to check for signs of the Dreamless Sleep element wearing off."

"It won't be my fault then if it happens?"

This time, he looked at me. I couldn't read his expression. "No, it wouldn't be your fault."

Guilt suddenly hit me. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

He merely stared back at me, a slight frown on his face. I couldn't work out what he was thinking.

I bit my lip. "I did something stupid."

He nodded curtly. "Indeed."

The silence that followed did nothing to settle the nervous feeling I had. Why wasn't he saying anything?

"Come," he said, picking up the potion and leading the way out of the room. "You should be in bed."

That was it? No talk? Nothing? I had a memory of apologising to him before and we'd talked back then. I did feel bad now. Guilt had finally won over. Didn't he understand that?

I slowly made my way out after him and followed him into my bedroom. I was out of breath by the time I reached my bed.

"Into bed," Severus ordered briskly. "You should try and limit your amount of walking around. It's unnecessary use of energy."

This comment brought about the angry tears that I'd tried to hold back when I'd walked the few steps from his lab to my bedroom. I tried to hide them as I moved past him and got into bed. He sounded so detached, like I was a student.

"What's the matter?" he asked quietly.

I was about to tell him that nothing was wrong, but that sounded immature to me, seeing as my face showed the opposite. My head hurt and I wanted to sleep. "I _do_ limit the amount I walk around," I said heatedly, my voice wavering. "I only came looking for you because I thought you weren't coming back."

He shook his head. "Of course I was coming back."

"I didn't know that…"

"Thought I was going to leave you to yourself all night?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You sent Madam Pomfrey in to talk to me about how I felt-"

"I did _not_," he interrupted, looking irritated. "I did ask for a second opinion because I thought you might have something more severe than bronchitis, but nothing more than that."

"I don't _need_ to talk to anyone else anyway," I said resolutely, trying not to sound like a small child.

"I don't recall making the suggestion," he said indifferently.

He was making me more and more frustrated. He was different to what I remembered. I had a lot of later memories of my time with him and less of the earlier ones. Maybe we had started off this way. I didn't want _this_ Severus around.

He sat down in the armchair and summoned some potions journals from the sitting room.

"Are you ready then?" he asked, holding out the glass to me.

I had so much more to say, so much more to _shout_. I didn't have the energy to do it. My head was aching and the potion being offered to me was going to hopefully offer me some form of relief. Perhaps Severus was holding off on speaking to me properly until I was better. Either way, his aloofness seemed to be adding to the pain I felt.

Taking a shuddering breath, I reached for the glass. I drank and it and then he took the glass from me. Lying down and wiping my eyes, I waited for sleep to come.

"It may take a few minutes to take effect," Severus said quietly.

I nodded, taking another shuddering breath. Coughing, I rolled onto my side and looked over at him. He was looking back at me, his black eyes fixed on mine.

"Don't you care that I said sorry?" I whispered.

He blinked. "Of course I care, Armilla."

I made no response.

"I should have said something more," he admitted. "I appreciate that you apologised. I am probably still a little…miffed that you did it in the first place." He sighed, looking tired again. "I assure you, I _do_ care."

Something else came to mind to say to him, but it disappeared as I became sleepy. I kept my eyes open for as long as I could, trying to find any emotion I could on my brother's face. It remained just as guarded as before.

I closed my eyes and everything immediately seemed to slow down inside me. My thoughts, which were running hazily into each other, were of the brother I remembered. "I remember you," I murmured, my mind growing foggier. "I remember…"

o o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Please review! A rather dramatic and revealing chapter is coming up next…


	25. Seeing Through the Fog

**Chapter 25**

_Learning the piano was a tricky business, especially when you were practising in two places at once. There I was in the sitting room at home, playing the same song over and over. I was sure Merle was going to stick her head around the kitchen door and tell me to knock it off. Then, quite suddenly, I was in my bedroom at the Merrigan Estate, doing quite the same thing. Only this time, I was expecting Severus to tell me to cease the incessant racket. Ah! There I was back at Merle's house again – no, Snape's house, no Merle's house… Hm, home either way…_

_I was flying! No wait – I was sort of flying…jumping really. Oof! Was that my head? Did someone just jump on my head? No, that was me._

_I shook my head. That made no sense at all! I couldn't jump on my own head! Who would suggest such a thing? I was definitely jumping though and it made my head hurt._

_Clouds again! Old friends! I was jumping from cloud to cloud. I yelled out a pained "Oof!" or "Ow!" or something Severus wouldn't approve of as I hit each one._

_The clouds were falling apart! Go faster! Go faster! I jumped as quickly as I could, holding onto my head._

_I heard Shar's voice. I shuddered. I found myself in the kitchen of my old house, the creepy old man standing across from me._

"_I was one of her closest companions before you came along. I should be very interested in knowing what has been left to me in her will. That is, I __expect__ to be informed."_

"_All the same, your arrival meant I was in competition with someone else for Merle's attention," he snapped. "My friendship with her was never the same after __you__ came along. You __always__ had to come first and I was pushed into the background. __No one__ cared about the poor squib next door."_

_We seemed to be arguing. I suddenly remembered that conversation a little too well. I wished I wouldn't have to remember that one…_

_I gasped as Shar hit me._

_I jumped onto another cloud and quickly jumped off again as it broke apart. I was sitting with Severus…_

"_I hope you don't think making a crestfallen face merits a slight change in my opinion," __he said, narrowing his eyes at me._

"_Please…?" I began, a little half-heartedly._

_He__ scoffed. "Oh, a __little__ better."_

_Uh oh…there was Mandy. I didn't like her. She was ranting about her perfume. I shook my head angrily. I still had nothing to do with that!_

"_Here!" Mandy said harshly. "Look at __this__!" She gestured to the top shelf in the bathroom cupboard. There, in many, many pieces were the remains of a perfume bottle. _

_Cloud after cloud kept breaking and with each one I found myself in a different place. My head didn't enjoy one bit of it. There was Severus again! I was in our dungeon sitting room, looking at my mother's ring. Severus looked a little annoyed._

"_Armilla has a fetish for overcompensating me with apologies. I do believe she thinks her presence in my life is depriving me of my valuable time."_

_There was Mandy again…_

"_I can give you no explanation," I said calmly, anger boiling up inside me. "I didn't put it there."_

_Mandy narrowed her eyes. "Seems weird that someone would bother stealing it, only to hide it in __your__ trunk."_

"_Exactly," I said coolly. "Clearly the person who is doing this isn't very clever. If the object is so easily found, they __want__ you to think it's me."_

_I was looking at my Ravenclaw music box. My small knight, Sir Rodrigo was waffling on about something or other as usual. I sighed and closed the lid of the box and Rodrigo fell to his knees, puffing loudly. Suddenly he jumped up again, clutching his helmet. "Nobody move! I've dropped my brain!"_

_It was Christmas time. I was at Hogwarts with Severus. There was Morag!_

"_It __is__ an owl, isn't it?" I said, backing away as far as I could from the claws. I didn't get very far; Snape caught my arm before I had put a fair distance between myself and the cage._

"_Yes, it's an owl," he said, looking amused at my reaction to the bird. "But, as you were so quick to figure out that it is not an __alarm clock__, I'm confident you would have noticed that it's not a common post owl."_

_I was in Diagon Alley with Severus. He was going to buy me a new instrument to amuse myself with at Grimmauld Place. Mrs Flitwick was helping us pick one._

"_Ukulele?" I suggested, pointing it out._

_Severus turned and fixed me with a mocking look. "Certainly, Armilla. All you'll need is a lei, a grass skirt and a portkey to Hawaii."_

_Wait! No! I couldn't play another instrument! Shar always invited himself over with the excuse that he wanted to hear me play the piano! No! He would come over all the time if I had a violin. I couldn't have it._

_Damn! Severus had boug__ht it for me! No! I was practising. Why was I so stupid? Shar would come over! Severus will serve him tea and then I would be told to play my new instrument for Shar! I had to get rid of the violin! Where to put it though? Shar couldn't know about it. He might come after me again. Well, I was not going to give him Merle's house…or Severus' house for that matter. I hope he burned in-_

_Where was I? Lisa and I were following Terry out of the common room. We went through many deserted corridors until we came to a stop in the middle of one. I remembered this! All I could see was a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Terry stared hard at the opposite wall in concentration and suddenly before our eyes, a door appeared. The Room of Requirement! We had met Hermione in there! That had led to trouble with Severus. I already had that memory._

"_Well this particular type of room didn't exist until we needed it," said Hermione, standing up. "This is the Room of Requirement. It appears here when one really needs to use it for something. It changes its décor depending on what it is needed for."_

_The Room of Requirement! Ah ha! That's where I could put the violin! That was the only possible place to put the violin. If I hid it anywhere else, Severus would surely find it. I didn't want to destroy it. I would destroy Shar instead at first chance! Then, after I'd incinerated him, I'd__ retrieve my violin. Good plan!_

"Ow," I moaned, clutching my head. Was my head on fire? It certainly felt like it to me. I opened my eyes. Hold on, were they really open? I was certain they were open. Why were there little broomsticks flying around the room then? That was very strange. Broomsticks don't normally do that this time of year…Definitely not in summer…Weren't we in December. Was it winter then? It didn't feel like winter in here.

Where was I? Yes, this was definitely my bedroom in Snape's quarters. Those broomsticks were still whizzing around. Go away! The lights were too bright!

My violin! I had to hide it! Shar was coming. He'd be here soon!

What was that noise? There was a buzzing coming from somewhere. Ow…it hurt to move my head. There was someone sitting next to my bed. I could barely make out who it was in the dark. Was it Shar?

I peered closer. Tonks! Merlin, what was Tonks doing next to my bed? Sleeping (and snoring) it seemed. Where was Severus then? With Shar, no doubt. Shar was probably telling him right that moment how very dearly he wished to hear me play the violin! Well, I wouldn't let him. I was going to the Room of Requirement!

I went to push the covers back and realised that they had already been pushed back. Had I done that? My body seemed wet…Had it rained in here or was that sweat? I sat up. Whoa! Stop moving! My hand hit something cool when I went to get up. It was a cloth, a very cold one. Well, wasn't that handy? I pushed it to my forehead and let out a small sigh in relief. That felt so good.

Back to business! Right! I put the cloth down, got up and immediately grabbed onto anything that would hold me up. Stop spinning! Had I made much noise? I turned back and glanced at Tonks. She hadn't stirred at all. I fervently hoped it was really Tonks, not some weirdo in disguise. What if it was? When Father had kidnapped me, he'd been in disguise as Lucius Malfoy. Either way, I had to leave. I had a mission, as besides that, I wanted to leave the flying broomsticks behind.

I opened the door of the armoire and felt around for the violin case. Ah ha. Taking hold of it, I pulled it out as quietly as I could and shut the door. Taking one last glance at Tonks, I moved slowly towards the door. It seemed I could walk a bit better now. The world had stopped spinning, for the most part anyway.

Damn, those broomsticks were outside my bedroom too! Go away! I used my free hand to bat them away. Nothing. They continued to whiz past.

I found my way to the front door and let myself out. Ah, cold air! Who said the dungeons corridors didn't have good weather, particularly in winter? The floor made my feet, which only had socks on, feel like ice. It was heaven!

A long time later I finally reached the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall. It had felt like hours getting out of the dungeons. I must have taken too many wrong turns. The air didn't feel as cold in the Entrance Hall, but at least it was cooler than my bedroom.

I held onto the banister and began the trek up the stairs. Since when had the grand staircase had that many stairs? When I reached the top, I sat down to rest. How did I normally do this?

No, no! Keep going! Shar was going to hear me play! Get rid of the violin immediately. I shook my head. Shar? Hadn't he been caught? I frowned. I could have sworn Severus had said that he'd been dealt with. That was odd. Now I was hiding my violin in case he came. This was strange turn of events.

Best keep going. I didn't want to be wrong and suddenly find Shar when I got back. I shuddered at the thought. I stood up, holding onto the banister again, waiting for the room to right itself. The broomsticks were still there. Had they gotten smaller and multiplied?

Getting to the portrait of Barnabus the Barmy seemed to take forever. I was sure I had heard Peeves several times along the way and I had ducked around corners when I had thought he was moving in my direction. As it was, I ended up meeting no one on my journey.

I frowned at the blank wall, rubbing my aching head as I tried to recall the way to get into the Room of Requirement. It had definitely come back to me in a memory, hadn't it?

I began walking back and forth, batting away the flying broomsticks as I went. It made no difference. I need a place to hide my violin. I need a place to hide my violin. I need a place to hide my violin.

Back and forth I kept going until, quite suddenly, a door materialised on the blank wall. Letting out a sigh of relief, I grabbed the handle and opened the door. The sight that met me was quite overwhelming.

There were rows and rows of items in this room. Furniture, books, vases, pots, urns, bottles… it seemed as if this collection had been made over many years. I wondered if half the items belonged to people who were now deceased. Perhaps others had forgotten that these items were here, or simply didn't want them.

_Focus!_ I just had to hide the violin and get out. I had to be back in the dungeons before Tonks woke up. If Severus found out what I was doing, he'd be really annoyed. Shar would complain that he hadn't heard me play and then…

"Ahh!" I jumped back as my left foot trod on something sharp. Merlin, that hurt! Why hadn't I put shoes on? Hopping about, I stared down at the source of my pain. It was a bronze hinge. I frowned as I reached down to pick it up with my free hand. This hinge was familiar. Hadn't Severus shown me that very hinge the other night? What had he said about it? Something to do with Draco Malfoy and my memory…hang on, hadn't this hinge been the reason that my memory had been altered in the first place?

I scowled as I turned the hinge over in my hand. Stupid thing. I sat on the floor and peeled my sock off my sore foot. Blood was slowly oozing out of the ball of my foot. Shaking my head I put the blood stained sock back on and used my hand to wipe away the drops of blood left on the floor.

Why was the hinge in this room anyway? Had Severus left it here for a reason? Maybe he was hiding it from someone. Maybe Draco Malfoy wanted it back. It was all very confusing.

Now that I'd sat down, I was in no hurry to get up again. My head was throbbing and I was certain that I'd used up the very last of what had remained of my energy.

Shar. I had to hide the violin quickly and get back. Sighing, I held onto the nearest furniture to haul myself up. This made the small broomsticks spill out in all directions, hurting my head all the more.

As it turned out, I hadn't picked the most stable piece of furniture to support my weight as I'd hauled myself up. It wobbled slightly and for a moment I thought it was going to fall over. I pushed my weight against it and the wobbling ceased. Letting go a moment later I stood back to have a look at it.

It was a cupboard, an unusual looking one. Its door was resting on the floor next to it. It looked a little battered and had probably been in retirement in this room for many years. I ran my finger over the ornate carving in the wood. It matched a small carving on the hinge. I guessed the hinge belonged to this cupboard. The various pieces had probably been dumped in here after it had fallen apart. Why hide it in the Room of Requirement though?

Tucking the hinge away in my pocket, meaning to hold onto it because I didn't like the idea of Draco Malfoy finding it, I wandered down one of the aisles, not really seeing properly what else was there. I was not going to get distracted by anything else. I was going to hide my violin and get out of there. I wondered if I could leave the whizzing broomsticks behind.

I reached the end of a long aisle and stopped by an old table covered with books. Crouching down, I lifted the long tablecloth and immediately coughed from the dust that rose from it. I placed the violin case under the table, sitting on yet more books and then let the tablecloth swing back into place.

I froze suddenly when I heard a noise. What was that? I was sure that door had just opened.

"No. Stay out there and guard the area like I told you to."

I bit down on my lip. I knew that voice. Draco Malfoy. He was here!

"Yeah, well, what story am I supposed to come up with if someone comes by then?"

That was Crabbe talking.

"How the hell should I know? It's three o'clock in the morning. I'm sure, ghosts aside, you're not going to run into too many people. Chances are if there are others roaming the halls at this time of the night, they've got their own missions to carry out."

Mission? My hand closed around the hinge in my pocket. Was Malfoy after it? If so, he was about to discover that it wasn't there on the floor.

"And if Snape comes back?" said a third voice. Goyle.

Where had Severus gone? Had he been called? Was that why Tonks was in my bedroom? Was he with Shar? Had he gone to find someone to rid me of these flying broomsticks?

"I'll deal with him," Malfoy said coldly. "He's already too suspicious and he'll be watching me more closely now than ever."

"Well, it was stupid to get into a duel with his sister," said Crabbe. "I think-"

"-What _you_ think matters little to me, Crabbe," Malfoy said acidly. "What's important is that I get this finished soon and get it right. Snape should be away for a few hours at least. Aunt Bella made perfectly sure of that."

I shook my head; my mind felt so foggy. Bella…Bellatrix Lestrange. I rubbed my temples, bringing my knees up so I could rest my head on them. Bellatrix Lestrange…was she the cause of Severus being away? Had she gotten the Dark Lord to call him? Had I just dreamed the last minute? Was Shar there with them? It was a good thing I had hidden my violin. I leaned my head against the table, closing my eyes for a moment. I was so tired.

I nearly hit my head on the table when I heard the door closing again. _Please don't come down here_, I thought, as I huddled closer to the table. I lifted up the cloth again and saw that there was enough room to slide in underneath. Quietly as I could, I moved under the table. As I went, I had to stifle a cough as dust went flying once again and settled on me and the books around me, as well as the violin case.

I looked down at the hinge in my hand. If Malfoy was looking for this, surely he would cast an _Accio_ on it. I didn't have my wand with me to attempt to stop it. It would fly out of my hand and zoom across the room to him. If Malfoy knew it was supposed to be on the floor in front of the cupboard, wouldn't he be surprised if it came whizzing from elsewhere? Would he come to snoop in the area?

My heart was thudding in my chest. The flying broomsticks seemed to have slowed down now. I was sure a few of them had disappeared too, thanks goodness.

What was I to do now? I didn't understand the importance of the hinge, except that it had something to do with the cupboard. I couldn't let Malfoy have it, simply because I was positive that whatever his mission was, it ought not to be encouraged.

I could hear Malfoy in the distance rummaging around. Was he looking for the hinge?

_If he finds you_, I thought, _he'll probably do something far more dangerous than alter your memory._ I didn't even have my wand. What did I have to protect me now? I shook my head, playing with my bracelet. It was a hopeless case. I remembered using my bracelet to save myself from Father, but seeing as the emerald had started to go foggy, I highly doubted it would help me now. I leaned forward and rubbed my tired eyes. Would it work? I could only try…try and probably be disappointed.

I ran a finger over the foggy emerald. Was it like that because of my draining magic? _ Malfoy is here_, I thought, staring hard at it. _If he finds me, he'll want to harm me. Help me_. I nearly gasped when, only for a second, a faint glow came from the emerald. Well, at least it still had_ some_ power.

"Blast!" I heard Malfoy yell. "Where is it?"

I looked frantically at the emerald, holding the hinge up to it. _Now!_ I pleaded. _Help me now!_

It glowed once more, only this time the hinge stuck fast onto the emerald, like a magnet. Would this bode well? I couldn't be sure. Would this mean that when Malfoy used a summoning charm, as I knew he would, the hinge would come flying towards him with _me_ attached to it? Dear Merlin, I hoped not…

It couldn't mean that, surely. I cringed as I heard something smash. I had asked the bracelet to help me and it seemed like it had, but seeing as my magic wasn't all it could be at the moment, there was a chance that the bracelet could be faulty. Maybe the fogginess meant that it was faulty.

I heard Malfoy swear several times before I heard a distinct "_Accio_ hinge!"

The hinge attached to my bracelet didn't move at all, but I did hear several objects whiz by me.

"Ow! Damn!" Malfoy uttered a few more colourful words before I heard several more things smash. I smiled to myself as I concluded that he must have been hit by several stray hinges. That's what you got when you didn't do the spell properly. He probably didn't visualise it properly in his mind. A moment later he tried again.

"_Accio_ hinge!"

This time, nothing happened at all. I didn't dare touch the hinge that was still attached to my bracelet.

There was silence. I was sure that if my heart pounded any harder, my chest would surely explode. At any rate, I was sure my throbbing head would burst before anything else.

I heard an angry growl and a second later the door was wrenched open.

"That was quick," I heard Goyle say.

"Shut up, you fool," Malfoy hissed. "Someone's been in here. I've got to either find it or rethink it pretty quickly. I need to owl Borgin."

"Find what?" Crabbe asked.

I didn't hear the answer; Malfoy shut the door with a snap behind him.

I sighed. How long would it be before I could leave? Maybe Malfoy would be back again quickly… If I left in the next few minutes or in the next hour I was going to be in danger. I wished I had my wand. This was all Shar's fault!

It was so warm in here. I rubbed my head. Should I give it ten or fifteen minutes and then leave? Would that be wise? Who knew if all three of them would still be in the area?

I pulled at the hinge and it detached itself easily from the emerald. Sighing again, I put it into my pocket.

I closed my eyes, leaning down to rest my head on my violin case. I was exhausted. I would wait for a while. I wasn't in the least bit comfortable, which was probably good considering that I didn't want to fall asleep. The violin case didn't make the best pillow.

The violin case? I brought my hands to my face, utterly confused. What the hell had I been doing? I knew Shar wasn't around anymore to bother me. Why was I trying to hide my violin from him? Merlin, had I been_ that _delirious when I'd woken up? I looked around at the flying broomsticks. _Yes_, my mind answered. It was just that a tiny bit of my senses had returned to me.

How the hell was I going to get out of this one without a wand? My fingers found the pearl attached to the chain around my neck. I pressed my index fingers to it and saw the glow as it turned red.

o o o o o o o o o o o

_Memory after memory had hit me and with each one a mini explosion went off in my head._

_I was shopping for dress robes with Severus._

_I was looking up charms to cure headaches._

_I was playing with my Pygmy Puff._

_I was looking at my OWL results._

_Severus had told me to leave and I was in a hurry to be out of his sight. I ran from the courtyard without looking back. I kept running and running and suddenly I was in the clearing in the forest where Snape and I had apparated. I stopped in the middle, not knowing where to turn. I had no one to turn to. _

_There was a movement in the bushes behind me. _

_I turned quickly. _

_There was nothing there. _

_I turned back and met a face I had hoped to never see again. _

_Shar. Shar carrying a knife._

_I screamed. What was he doing at the Merrigan Estate? Was he back? Where was Severus?_

_I got to the gate and I pulled it open, not checking over my shoulder. I stopped screaming because it made my head feel even worse. I was certain that I had minutes before it was due to explode._

_I ran and ran, feeling relieved that I wasn't heari__ng footsteps running after me._

_I was slowing down and I wasn't sure why. No matter how hard I ran, it felt like I was going at walking pace._

_I saw something bright up ahead. That's where I had to be!_

_I opened the door and tried to keep running, only I tripped instead and went sliding._

"Oof!" I landed hard on my behind, which quickly felt frozen. I was sitting in snow! Jumping up, I shook my pounding head, trying to get my bearings. I promptly lost my footing and ended up sitting in the snow again. How the hell had I gotten out here?

I was in one of the school courtyards it seemed, and it was still quite dark. Where was Shar? Was he still hunting for me?

"Ohhhh," I groaned. It was a memory again, wasn't it? Shar wasn't really around. Weird lights were around though. Hundreds of them seemed to be flying around me.

"Hello, my dear." I swung around at the sound of the voice.

"Merle," I said uncomfortably. There she was, the ghost-like creature I'd been warned against. I wasn't supposed to be out alone. She was there to drain my magic away.

I got up, my soaked feet unsteady in the snow. I took a couple of steps away from Merle and found that my feet were sinking fast in the soft snow. Wincing from the cold, I tried to move quicker, which made my head pound all the more.

"Where are you going?" Merle demanded.

I ignored her. As I stepped onto a drier surface near the door, I noticed an icy puddle on the cobbled pavement. Leaning down towards it, I saw not only my reflection, but another one next to it that looked nothing like Merle. It wasn't completely clear; rather, it was quite funny and was mainly greyish. Still, the outline and what I could see of the face looked strangely familiar.

"Merle," I said slowly. "Why does your reflection look like me?"

She didn't answer; her reflection suddenly vanished. I looked over and saw that she had disappeared. Where had she gone?

I clutched at my head and the lights swam around me. "Ohh." I had to get inside before it exploded and pieces of me were littered all over the snow. I moved as quickly as I could towards the door, nearly skidding several times across the icy pavement.

Was someone calling my name?

As I stepped inside, my wet socked feet slid and I went sailing across the corridor before ending up on the floor again.

"Not as cold," I commented, clutching my head.

"Armilla!" a deep, very familiar voice hissed. "What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

I looked up, shivering as I did so. "Damn," I muttered, still clutching my head as I tried to make out the black cloaked figure in the doorway I'd just come through. The lights weren't bothering me anymore. Something even worse was. "The broomsticks are back."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Thanks for reading and please leave a comment. Though not much time went by in this chapter, I'm sure you noticed that several rather significant plot points occurred. Ahem! Now it's time for a lovely announcement: if you are a member of the Armilla Yahoo site, be sure to check out the new Armilla/Snape artwork by Michi Mitsurugi, who was kind enough to send it to me. I think it's fabulous, very funny and definitely worth checking out!

Chapter 26 should be out next week.


	26. Reflections

**Chapter 26**

"Broomsticks," I murmured, shutting my eyes tightly and shivering. I could still see them with my eyes shut. I opened them, blinking several times, but to no avail. "They're everywhere."

"What are you talking about?" Severus hissed as he knelt down beside me. He reached out and gripped one of my arms. "What have you been doing? You're all wet from the snow."

"Don't," I murmured, wincing at the touch. "Sore." My muscles seemed to think that they'd been part of a marathon. Hm, perhaps they had been…I was starting to confuse what was reality and what I'd dreamt. Was Severus really here right now?

As I felt my arm being released, I looked over at Severus, blinking in order to focus my eyes properly on him. "Severus."

He said nothing as he took out his wand and then removed his travelling cloak.

I stared at him, watching as he waved his wand around us, muttering a spell.

"Not awake," I murmured to myself, shutting my eyes again and resting my head on my knees. It was hard to tell with the broomsticks, not to mention my frozen behind and feet. I was suddenly certain I was still sleeping.

"Awake and delirious, to be exact," I heard Severus say. I opened my eyes as I felt something warm being wrapped around me. Severus' travelling cloak felt like a blanket.

"Severus-"

"I have no wish to linger," he said quietly. "Anything urgent can wait until we're safely in the dungeons." He conjured a cold cloth and passed it to me. "Keep it pressed against your forehead." He lifted me easily, ignoring my protests about being touched.

"I can walk, you know," I mumbled, closing my eyes again as I pressed the cloth to my face.

"I do believe you've had enough exercise."

"This is not in the least bit embarrassing," I murmured, the sarcasm only just making its way through in my tone.

"I have little concern for that," he replied, "I've cast Invisibility and Soundproofing charms over us. I am fairly certain there will be no one about at four o'clock in the morning on a Sunday anyway."

"Shar is," I whispered, "or was…I don't remember. Is he here?"

"No," my brother replied shortly, as he began walking. "You've been dreaming by the sounds of it. You shouldn't have been."

I was silent, pondering this. I shouldn't have been dreaming? There was definitely an edge to his voice. I frowned, trying to separate my memories from my dreams. Hadn't I apologised to Severus about dreaming when I shouldn't have been? Yes! I'd been purposely finding memories!

"That's it," I murmured, feeling satisfied that I'd at least sorted that one out.

"What's it?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but found explaining myself was going to take up way too much energy. I settled for one word, hoping he'd understand. "Dreaming."

As I rested my head on his shoulder, I was suddenly struck with something else I needed to tell him. What was it? Too many dreams to sort out…

"Malfoy," I muttered.

I felt him stiffen. "Hush, Armilla. This is not the place to talk of Draco, soundproofing charm or not."

I was content to be silent; I was dozing off anyway.

Severus suddenly gave me a small poke. "Don't go to sleep," he whispered, shifting my weight in his arms. "Not until I give you a potion. Your fever is far too dangerous."

"Mm," I mumbled, dozing off again. I really needed to sleep or my head would explode.

This time he actually pinched me.

"Ow!" I hissed. Didn't he understand that I was sore?

"What did I _just_ say to you?"

I didn't answer him. "Don't pinch me."

"Then _don't_ go to sleep."

As it turned out, it was very hard to concentrate on not dozing off when at times, I wasn't certain whether I was awake or asleep. I didn't receive another pinch from Severus, so I must have succeeded in staying awake.

"Nymphadora!" Snape called out, as soon as we'd entered our quarters. The volume of his voice made me groan as my head pounded harder.

Severus walked briskly through the sitting room, down the hallway and nearly bumped into Tonks in the doorway of my bedroom.

"Oh thank Merlin!" she exclaimed, a hand over her heart. "You woke me, Severus – and Armilla's bed was empty – Oh thank Merlin. I-"

"I must_ insist_ on knowing why you saw fit to _fall asleep_ in the first place," Severus said harshly, depositing me on my bed. "You were told to supervise a sick child, Nymphadora. It _really _wasn't a difficult task."

"Severus, I know. I-"

"And then," Severus went on, taking out his wand and renewing the charm on the cold cloth, "I returned to the school grounds at four o'clock on the morning and happened to see someone off in the distance sitting in snow." He handed the cloth back to me and then turned back to Tonks, who looked very unhappy. "I thought it was a strange thing to see and then I found that it was Armilla! Would you believe that, Nymphadora? A child with pneumonia _sitting in snow_!"

I pushed aside Severus' cloak and curled up on my bed, shutting my eyes tightly and holding the cloth to my head. Too loud…I wished they'd go somewhere else so I could sleep.

"There's nothing I can say, Severus, except to apologise most profusely-" Tonks said desperately.

Severus cut her off. "I am in no mood to hear apologies from you. I am far more concerned about getting Armilla's fever down." I heard him sigh. "Who knows what she got up to around the castle."

"Didn't you ask her?"

"She's delirious, Nymphadora!" he snapped. "She's barely aware of what's happened."

"Too loud," I moaned.

"Armilla, you must be frozen." I heard Tonks rush forward.

"You think?" my brother said icily.

"I'll help you change, Armilla," Tonks said kindly, touching my shoulder.

"Don't," I mumbled, shrugging her off. "Sore."

"Help her change whilst I fetch some potions," I heard Severus say.

"Certainly. Come on, Armilla. Sit up again."

"Cooperate, Armilla," Severus called over his shoulder as he left the room.

Groaning, I sat up, clutching my head. The pain was getting worse. "It's going to explode."

"No, it won't," Tonks said, going through my drawers. "It will be okay. Oh, Armilla, I'm so sorry."

"Going to explode," I repeated, barely aware that she was there. Something was moving inside me.

"No, just hang on-"

"Sick," I murmured, leaning forward over my knees, as tears sprang to my eyes.

"Severus will be right back. Ah, here they are-"

"Sick," I said, starting to get up. I was going to be sick.

Tonks grabbed my arm. "No, don't get up-" she said urgently. "Just wait for Severus."

I pushed my way past her as I got up and Tonks grabbed my arm once again as I stumbled. My insides lurched and then quite suddenly I was emptying the contents of my stomach all over the floor.

I coughed and hiccoughed and then crouched down, wiping away the tears that had appeared on my face. I winced, feeling sharp stabs of pain in my chest.

"Wonderful," Severus said from the doorway. He moved into the room and put whatever he was carrying on my bedside table. "I can call Madam Pomfrey to assist, Nymphadora," he said quietly. "I understand that assisting her now might be asking too much…unlike asking you to watch over her for a few hours."

"No, it's fine, Severus, really," Tonks said, ignoring his jibe.

Severus walked over to me, taking out his wand. "It's alright," he said softly. He waved his wand, banishing the vomit from the floor. He then cast a cleaning charm over the rug.

Shuddering, I got up and sat on the bed. It felt like I was asleep again; my head felt completely cloudy.

"Get changed and then you can sleep," Severus said, after he'd cast an air-freshening charm. He turned and swept from the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Come on then," Tonks said, holding a change of pyjamas out to me.

"I'll be fine," I mumbled, taking them from her. I shut myself into the bathroom and leaned against the door. Everything was so foggy. What had I been doing outside? Had I just wondered out of Severus' quarters? I remembered running from Shar, but was that a dream? I thought I had dreamed of Malfoy too.

When I finally emerged from the bathroom, Severus had joined Tonks in my bedroom. Tonks was standing at the foot of my bed with her arms folded, looking at the floor, while Severus was fiddling with a potion on my bedside table.

Saying nothing to either, I crawled into bed, completely ready to sleep for the next few years if it meant ridding me of the headache and everything else that was plaguing me.

"Was there something about Malfoy you were going to tell me?" Severus asked, sitting down on my bed, a glass of bright pink potion in his hand. "Perhaps it was a dream?"

I thought for a moment, before slowly shaking my head. "I don't know."

"Very well." He handed the glass to me, which I drank down immediately.

I leaned back and closed my eyes.

"Is there anything I can do, Severus?" I heard Tonks ask.

Severus made a disgruntled noise as he pressed the cool cloth to my forehead. "Certainly," he said dryly. "Make haste and place a security alarm charm on Armilla. I want a siren sounded through the dungeons if she feels like a stroll again."

"Not funny…" I murmured, feeling the potion begin to take effect.

"Not funny," Severus agreed.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

My mind was awake long before the rest of me was, or so it seemed. I kept my eyes closed for as long as possible, willing myself to go back to sleep, but my mind was having none of it. It wasn't alert by any means; it was far too busy trying to sort out what was going on in its own little world.

I was comfortable, that much was certain. Perhaps I had been sleeping for a long time. No, I had woken up, hadn't I? More than once, I thought. I had a vague recollection of waking quite a few times, feeling short of breath, only to be told to drink several things and then falling asleep again. Maybe it just seemed like it had happened many times.

There was definitely a slight buzzing noise nearby. I was quite sure that I had heard Severus' voice more than once, but that seemed like long ago. Lately I had been hearing someone else's voice.

My chest didn't feel so sore; I remembered that it had hurt a lot. My head also didn't feel so bad. The drilling feeling in my head had vanished and there was just a dull ache there now.

I tried moving my head from side to side. It felt stiff and sore. I reached up to rub it and as I did so, I heard a voice nearby.

"Ah, it seems you're awake."

The voice was familiar; I'd heard it recently, I was sure.

I opened my eyes and immediately the ache in my head strengthened a little. Blinking several times and rubbing my eyes, I looked up to see Madam Pomfrey smiling down at me. Not feeling at all impressed by this and uncertain as to why, I closed my eyes again, groaning slightly.

"There, now," I heard her say, before she cast a temperature spell. "You may not feel it, my dear, but you're a great deal better than you were earlier in the week."

I opened my eyes again. I tried to speak, but my voice was scratchy.

"Careful now," Madam Pomfrey said, giving me water to drink. "Beside incoherent mutterings, you haven't spoken since last Sunday."

After clearing my throat several times, I managed to get most of my voice back. I suddenly felt more alert. "What day is it?"

"Saturday," she said, taking the glass from me, "the seventh of December, 7:18pm to be exact."

"I've been sleeping since last Sunday?"

"On and off. You've woken plenty of times of course, but the many potions we had to give you kept you sleeping for long periods of time."

"Mild pneumonia," I murmured, closing my eyes again. It hadn't been that bad, really. Why had it been necessary to be dosed with strong potions for nearly a week?

She gave a dry laugh. "No, _acute_, more like," she said, straightening my covers. "You gave us quite a scare on Tuesday morning when one of your lungs collapsed."

I opened my eyes again. I looked incredulously at her.

She smiled. "That's the same look Severus gave me when I informed him. It wasn't as severe as I'd first thought and I was able to heal it, though you really should have spent the rest of the week in St Mungo's. Once you were stable though, Severus wouldn't hear of it. Too dangerous, he said."

I looked around the darkened room. "Where _is_ Severus?" I suddenly wanted him.

"He's been sleeping for the past few hours," she answered, organising a few things on my bedside table. "Severus, Nymphadora Tonks, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick and I have been taking it in turns to sit with you. Severus, though he seemed to think otherwise, was quite content to spend every waking hour either in here or in his lab, brewing up something else for you. He developed a cold himself yesterday…run down, I think…and I finally convinced him to go to bed after dinner last night." She laughed suddenly. "He's a far more stubborn patient than you are, Armilla. He won't let me in to check on him. He seems to think he can take care of himself."

"He can…" I said, closing my eyes again.

"Ah, you're no help."

I glanced over to my right to identify the source of the buzzing. There was a funny looking mechanism floating in the air nearby that wouldn't have looked out of place in Severus' office.

"That's a magical humidifier," Madam Pomfrey explained, following my gaze. "It's helped the potions along with having you breathe properly again."

I shook my head. "I've been an awful amount of trouble by the sound of it."

She smiled. "No, just very ill. Nothing we couldn't cure anyway."

"What about Severus' classes?"

"Dumbledore's had a substitute teacher on his classes all week." She shook her head. "Of course, that resulted in rumours flying about everywhere to explain the absence of the two of you."

"Of course," I said dryly.

"Your friends, of course, have set the rumour straight, to the chagrin of the rumourmongers who had insisted that the two of you had caught a flesh eating virus and weren't expected to last the week. It seemed that acute pneumonia wasn't anywhere near as impressive."

I rolled my eyes. "I'd rather they all mind their own business."

She patted my arm. "This_ is_ Hogwarts, dear."

"Am I able to shower?" I asked, trying to sit up. I felt icky.

Madam Pomfrey looked doubtful. "Not by yourself."

I shrugged. I was beyond caring if she helped me. All I knew was that I wanted a hot shower.

"May I have a headache potion?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. The pink potion you've been taking is immensely strong and cannot be mixed with any other potion. You'll be due to take it again shortly."

"I haven't dreamed," I said suddenly, thinking of the clouds that were still floating around in my memory. I had many of my memories back now, but there were still quite a few things I didn't know. "How did you stop me dreaming?"

"Severus did," she answered, helping me get up. "That's how he overworked himself. He spent hours and hours experimenting with that potion until he had altered some of its effects. He managed to include a component that would rouse your mind as soon as the dreamless sleep element wore off. If your mind came close to dreaming, you would wake, meaning you were due for more."

I shook my head. "I wish I could be as clever as he is."

She shook her head. "Be grateful that you're not as obstinate as he is. He's been unbelievably snarky all week. Only this morning I threatened to deduct points from Slytherin."

o o o o o o o o o o o

I awoke on Sunday morning feeling much better than I had in ages. My head still had a slight ache, but I felt more like my old self, lack of some memories aside. Damn Malfoy.

Malfoy. I glared up at the canopy above me. Evil git. I was certain that I'd dreamed about him recently. I knew that I'd dreamed about Shar, only because I now had a memory of him chasing me…an incident which I was certain I had dreamed anyway.

Dreamed…

I suddenly cringed. I had dreamed it! I had dreamed it after I had apologised to Severus for dreaming on purpose. He was probably still furious about it. Madam Pomfrey had said only the day before that he'd been snarky all week. Maybe he thought I'd gotten myself into this predicament. I could understand that.

I had a vague memory of snow and seeing Severus somewhere in Hogwarts. Everything else seemed rather foggy. I was sure I had dreamed of Malfoy…and my violin.

I was suddenly aware that I was alone in my room. Hadn't Madam Pomfrey said that people had been taking it in turns to supervise? _In case I ran off again…_ Hmph. I didn't quite remember running off it the first place.

Madam Pomfrey had rattled on about it the evening before when she'd helped me shower. Listening to her had eased the discomfort I'd felt about the situation. The effort of walking to the bathroom and showering had taken so much energy that I'd been quite grateful to sleep again once I'd returned to my bed.

I sat up, wincing at the ache this caused to my head. I wanted to find Severus. It felt like I hadn't seen him in weeks.

Hanging onto any available furniture, I made my way slowly out of the room, pausing at the door and waiting for the slight dizziness to go away. I walked to the sitting room and was disappointed to find it empty. Turning back, I headed for the end of the corridor to Severus' room, where the door was slightly ajar.

I knocked, but heard no answer. I wondered whether or not to go in; I had enough memories of Severus now to know that it wasn't the worst thing in the world if I dared walk into his bedroom.

"Severus," I called, pushing the door open. The room was empty, but his bathroom door was closed. Perhaps he'd just gotten up; it was still early after all.

"I'll be out in a moment," I heard him call back.

Not feeling inclined to stand there waiting for him when my legs were tired, I moved towards Severus' unmade bed and sat down on the edge to wait for him.

I didn't have to wait long. A couple of minutes later, the door opened and Severus appeared, fully dressed and looking tired. He frowned when he saw me. "You shouldn't be up and walking about."

"I'm not," I pointed out.

He narrowed his eyes. "_My_ bed doesn't count."

"I'm sick of my bedroom."

"How unfortunate," he said, looking completely unconcerned about this. "You still have several more days at the very least to spend in there."

I made a face. "Haven't I slept enough?"

"Not nearly enough."

"Are you better?" I asked him, as he came to sit next to me.

"I wasn't really sick," he answered, scowling slightly.

"Madam Pomfrey said you were."

He rolled his eyes. "How are _you_ feeling?"

I shrugged. "Okay, I suppose. Better than last week. My head still aches."

"That's a lingering effect of getting your memories back, I believe," he said, "not so much the pneumonia." He shook his head. "You're certainly one for doing things well, Armilla. If you had to get pneumonia, you had to go all out and develop a severe form of it."

I smiled. We were silent for a moment. "You're not mad then that I dreamed?" I asked.

He frowned. "Dreamed? _When_ exactly?"

"I had dreamed of Shar when you found me," I explained. I'd thought he'd worked that out.

"You mentioned him, yes," he said, "but you weren't quite talking sense at the time. I doubt you dreamed on purpose. I do wonder what you got up to that night. I doubt you did much except wander about the castle."

"I don't really remember much except little things." I thought for a moment. "I sat under a table."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Are you sure you didn't dream that?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. I'm sure there's something about Malfoy…and Crabbe and Goyle."

Severus stared at me, waiting for me to go on. I shook my head again. "It was probably a dream…like running from Shar when he wanted to hear me play the violin."

He gave me a funny look. "You imagined that one. That's certainly not a memory. Shar never asked to hear you play the violin because I only bought it for you last summer."

"Oh…" That's right. We were silent again.

"Do you remember hurting your foot?" Severus suddenly asked. "We found a cut on it which suggested that you'd stepped on something sharp."

I thought for a moment, thinking that hurting my foot would be something I'd remember. Slowly, I shook my head. "No idea."

"Come," Severus said, standing up. "We'll have breakfast and then you can go back to bed."

"Madam Pomfrey told me you successfully altered that potion," I said, pushing myself off the bed. "That's why I haven't been dreaming."

"Yes, well, it still requires improvement," he said, "but it was certainly a great help."

I slowly followed behind him as we left the room. As we went to pass my bedroom, a strange thought suddenly hit me as I was thinking about when I'd been wondering the castle.

"Wait," I said, turning and going into my bedroom. I smiled at Morag as she hooted her good morning, sporting lime green feathers this morning. I went to my armoire and opened the door, my eyes immediately scanning the bottom.

Uh oh.

"What are you doing?" Severus asked from the doorway.

"My violin's not here," I said turning back to him. "I'm quite sure I picked it up."

He shook his head. "You think you wandered the castle with your violin?"

I shrugged. "Perhaps. It seems familiar."

He sighed. "And I don't suppose you have any recollection of where you left it?"

I shook my head. "None."

He shook his head again, looking a little exasperated. "I daresay we'll find it. Hopefully a summoning spell will do the trick. Let's hope it's not buried under the snow."

"I didn't mean to," I said crossly, closing the armoire door.

"I know," he said, turning away and walking down the hall to the sitting room. "You do the strangest things when you're ill."

o o o o o o o o o o o

The following couple of weeks were frustrating and generally uneventful. People who were content to sit and not do much all day would have delighted in what I had to endure the week following my illness. A severe lack of energy meant that I spent the majority of those days in bed, sleeping, reading or grumbling. The week after that was less painful; Severus finally allowed me to roam around our quarters whilst he was teaching classes, as long as I slept sometime during the day.

Catching up on classes was going to be difficult and this was what had caused the most arguments between my brother and I. I had yet to get all of my memories back, which meant that I didn't remember all of the classes I had been to, or the content of the lessons. The way I saw it, seeing as I no longer had a fever, Severus should stop giving me the Dreamless Sleep and I should try and get the rest of my memories back. Of course, doing this was likely to cause a low fever, but Severus could easily give me a potion for that. Wasn't that easy enough?

Certainly not, it would seem. According to Severus, who apparently knew best about such things, the whole idea of it was dangerous, especially since I was still recovering. He'd said that perhaps he'd consider the idea again in another couple of weeks. Hmph! Where did this leave me then? Bored in our quarters, that's where.

I had been reading my textbooks and looking over my notes from the term, but it was a lot to take in. I hated not being able to attend classes, and since I'd gotten sick right near the end of term, I'd been excused from classes until the new year.

Lisa and Terry came down to see me every afternoon during the last week of classes before Christmas. By this time, I had almost completely recovered and was anxious to go outside simply just to see the sky. Severus had promised me that we'd go home on Christmas Eve and spend a few days there. It was this prospect that I was looking forward to more than anything else.

Lisa and Terry had been a great help with filling in the gaps on Ravenclaw or general school gossip that I hadn't remembered. They also went over all the lessons with me that we generally shared, saving Severus from tutoring me in everything in the evenings. Lisa had also been particularly helpful with ordering a Christmas present for Severus.

My violin? Found! Dumbledore and Severus had finally concluded that it had to be in an odd place when it couldn't be summoned or located within the castle. Dumbledore had immediately suggested the Room of Requirement as one of the places I might have ventured to. It was either that, he'd said, or I'd somehow managed to place a spell on the violin to stop it being found. Severus immediately rejected the latter because I'd been found without my wand. Severus had been able to get into the room and the violin had been retrieved with a simple summoning spell. _Why_ exactly I had been in the Room of Requirement was a bit of a mystery, but I believed it had something to do with Shar.

It was Friday night and classes had ended that day. Many people would be leaving Hogwarts the next day to begin their Christmas holidays. Severus and I had been invited to Slughorn's Christmas party. Of course, it must be said that both of us were virtually drowning in our joy.

Severus was putting in an appearance for the sake of staff relations, or so he said. I had received my own invitation and Slughorn had apparently been hounding Severus at every meal all week about my attendance. I was very keen for an outing further than the sitting room, so Slughorn's company or not, I was very willing to go.

I had initially been surprised that Severus was letting me go, considering I didn't have all my memories back yet and hadn't seen anyone outside my friends and the teachers who'd helped Severus and Madam Pomfrey take care of me. According to my brother, my recovering health would be a good excuse to leave the party early. Hmph. How convenient. Since my friends weren't going, I would probably run out of conversation with people by that time anyway. I hated engaging in idle chitchat.

"I don't like dressing up," I grumbled to Severus as I walked into the sitting room where he was waiting. "I feel self-conscious."

Severus, wearing black semi-formal dress robes, paused with his hand on a book as he turned around from the bookshelf. His expression was guarded as he looked at me.

"That's because, Merlin forbid, people might look at you," he said finally. "It's a good thing I'm attending tonight; I can hex the young men on the sly if you don't approve."

"You mean if _you_ don't approve," I corrected.

"Either way," he said indifferently. "You look beautiful," he added, turning away to put the book back. "You'll have to write and thank Matilda."

"I will." Matilda, upon hearing that I'd been unwell, had sent along her Christmas present early in order to cheer me up. Only three days before, two owls had come in with a large package containing new dress robes, which Matilda had made herself. Matilda hadn't made me clothes since I'd been a young child, so I had been delighted with the floaty ivory-coloured silk and chiffon robes.

"What if I get stuck in a conversation where people are asking me things I'm supposed to remember?" I asked Severus, as we made our way along the corridor that led to Slughorn's office. It wouldn't have mattered if I had forgotten the way; you simply had to follow the sounds of the loud music and voices.

"Just say it's slipped your memory," he replied, "and then change the subject. Asking someone about themselves is the best means of distraction because an alarmingly high percentage of people simply love talking about themselves to people who'd rather not know."

I smiled. "That works for you?"

He nodded. "It's even better if you can get someone else involved in the conversation and then once the attention is focused on the other listener, you can make your escape…until the next time you're stuck with a dimwit."

I laughed. "You must love social gatherings."

He sneered. "More than life itself."

"Ah Severus!" Slughorn called happily, as we entered the office. "And Armilla too! Just marvellous!"

I looked around the office, wondering if the size of the room had been tampered with. It had certainly changed since the last time I'd been in the room. I shuddered at the thought of my detention with Umbridge. Now_ there_ was a memory I'd prefer not to have.

The room looked positively huge. There were emerald, crimson and gold hangings, which made it look like we were in an oversized tent. The red light, which I found more annoying than anything else, was cast by little fairies who were fluttering around a golden lamp in the centre of the ceiling. In a corner I could see mandolins accompanying singing, from whom I had no idea. Silver trays were floating all over the place, held up by house elves.

As Severus shook Slughorn's hand, I cast my eyes over the crowd. There were many Hogwarts students present, each of them having qualified for Slughorn's favourites list. There were plenty of people I didn't know, perhaps past favourite students or old acquaintances of Slughorn's.

I saw Hermione off in the distance, listening to Cormac McLaggen with an annoyed expression on her face. Over the other side of the room I saw Harry and Luna listening to a small, bespectacled man, who was with another man who looked strangely vampire-ish to me.

I turned my attention back to Slughorn when I heard my name.

"I am glad to have you here, Armilla," he said cheerfully. "I hear that-"

He was interrupted by an elderly warlock who tapped him on the shoulder and started talking about the Chudley Canons at the top of his voice. Slughorn gave us an apologetic look before he looked back at the warlock. Clearly the man was a little mad.

"And here's our chance to escape," Severus whispered in my ear as he moved away, gesturing for me to follow.

"You can't take credit for that one," I said, following him to the other side of the room.

He smirked as he turned around. "Really? How do you know that I didn't slip that man a galleon to interrupt early?"

I shook my head at him. "Because I know. Instinct."

"Severus Snape!" a voice suddenly said. I turned to see a tall, elderly man with a moustache that curled at the ends approach my brother with his hand out.

"Cassius," Severus greeted, shaking his hand. "You received my last order?"

"Arrived this morning. I shall have it to you no later than Tuesday. I've got a backorder of Billywigs."

I left Severus to his conversation with who I guessed was one of Severus' potions suppliers. Perhaps Slughorn saw the use in the man too, being an ex Potions Master.

I slowly roamed the room, content not to spend the whole evening at my brother's side.

"Professor Snape is distracted," said a voice behind me, "so I think I can talk to you undetected for a little while."

I turned to see Hermione behind me, looking a little out of breath. "Here," she said hastily, pulling me into a corner behind a group of elderly and apparently hearing impaired warlocks, who were engaging in very loud conversation about toe warts.

"Running from someone?" I asked, grinning at her.

"Cormac McLaggen," she muttered under her breath. "I've never met with such an ego…apart from Gilderoy Lockhart."

"Lockhart? Weren't you part of his fan club?"

She gave me a guilty smile. "Yes, I admit it. Weren't you?"

I shuddered. "Never."

"I take it you're better then, seeing as you're here," she said, her eyes scanning the room, presumably on the lookout for McLaggen.

I nodded. "Much. I was quite happy to just to have the opportunity to walk up here."

She laughed. "Is it that bad down there?"

I shook my head. "Not at all; just too much of one place, that's all."

"Hermione! _Hermione_!"

I turned to see Harry moving through the crowd, pulling Luna Lovegood of all people behind him.

"Hi, Armilla," said a voice behind me. Startled, I turned around and my heart did a nervy sort of flip flop as I saw those dark eyes.

"Arian," I said, more surprised than anything else. What was Arian Bletchley doing at Slughorn's party?

"I'll see you later, Armilla," Hermione said quickly, nodding in the direction of Harry.

"Okay," I replied vaguely, feeling very alone all of a sudden. I had absolutely nothing to say.

"Something I said?" Arian asked, watching Hermione's retreating form with a raised eyebrow.

"No," I said hastily. "She's busy trying to avoid someone."

"Ah," he said, nodding in understanding. "Poor fellow."

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "Does Slughorn throw good parties or something?"

He smiled. "I've put Slughorn off too many times before. He's useful every now and then with his connections, so I thought I'd better make the effort this time and come."

"Oh."

He looked around. "Are you here with Professor Snape?"

I looked around too, but I couldn't see my brother through the crowd. "Yes, he's here somewhere."

He looked surprised. "Snape never struck me as one for parties; he very rarely went to our Quidditch celebrations in the common room while I was at Hogwarts."

I nodded, still scanning the room for Severus. I finally spotted him off in the distance, talking to a couple of wizards I didn't know.

"Your father, on the other hand," Arian went on, folding his arms, "seems to love parties."

"Mm, but he's pickier about the guest list than Slughorn," I commented, as I watched a couple of seventh year boys try and grab one the fluttering fairies.

"True, though I think the Flints won't receive an invitation from your father for a long time." Arian shook his head. "Not after Marcus' behaviour towards you that night of the dinner party."

I nodded. "Don't remind me." That was a memory that had been returned to me. Seeing a drunken Marcus Flint trying to grab at me was something worth forgetting. The majority of my experiences at Father's house were forgettable, it seemed.

"You said Slughorn is useful for his connections," I said, turning to him. "What do you do for a living?"

"I've been studying abroad for the last few years," he answered. "I'm not home a great deal because I was offered an apprenticeship with a Transfiguration Master when I left Hogwarts. I spend most of my time in Lyon now."

"How's your French?"

He smiled. "Très mal."

"As long as you enjoy it."

He considered this. "I don't love it," he admitted. "I mean, my Master is an excellent teacher, but he's…how shall I say it…exceedingly dull."

"Oh."

"But it's not forever," he went on, "I've only got another year before I finish-"

"Hello, Armilla."

Arian frowned, his eyes on whoever was behind me. I turned to see Ruby Parkes and Padma Patil.

"Hi," I replied, wishing they'd go away.

"Feeling better?" Padma asked cheerfully. "You haven't slept in our dorm for weeks now."

"Yes, a lot better," I said quietly.

"Are you going to introduce us to your friend?" Ruby asked, smiling in a sickly sort of way at Arian.

"Oh," I said awkwardly. "This is Arian Bletchley. Arian, this is Ruby Parkes and Padma Patil. They're in Ravenclaw as well."

Arian nodded his hello without a smile.

"I think I remember you from a few years ago," Padma said, staring at him. Her face suddenly changed. "Um…Slytherin, right?"

Arian folded his arms. "Slytherin," he said, his tone a little cold.

"Oh, is that how you know him so well, Armilla?" Ruby asked, still grinning. "Through Snape?"

"No," I said shortly. "I-"

"Would you excuse us?" Arian said, addressing himself to Ruby. "We were actually in the middle of a conversation. Would you mind awfully if Armilla speaks with you later?"

Ruby opened her mouth, looking startled. This only lasted for a few seconds, as a moment later she looked rather cross.

"No problem," said Padma, looking totally unaffected. "Come on, Ruby. There are cauldron cakes to be sampled."

Ruby allowed herself to be taken off, but not before giving Arian her most displeased look.

"Friend of yours?" Arian asked, eyeing their retreating forms.

"Not really. We share a dorm."

"Ah." He turned back to me. "You've been ill?"

"Pneumonia," I answered vaguely, watching Severus across the room as he began talking to Flitwick. "I'm fine now."

"I'm glad to hear it."

We talked for several more minutes, mainly of Hogwarts, before Slughorn came to claim Arian's attention.

"Bletchley!" he boomed, clapping Arian on the back. "I have someone I want you to meet, Henrik Cavillier. He's about to leave, but I must insist that you meet him first. He has a lab in Lyon, you know."

Arian nodded. "If you insist, Professor." He turned back to me. "Do excuse me, Armilla. Hopefully I'll talk to you again later tonight."

"Okay." I watched as he followed Slughorn to the other side of the room, near Severus and Flitwick.

Seeing Padma heading back my way, I turned, pretending I hadn't noticed, and walked in the direction of the bathroom, which must have been added on to Slughorn's office for the party.

I sighed as I walked into the empty bathroom, for no real reason. I looked in the mirror and immediately jumped when I saw two reflections. It looked like both were mine. One, my own, was as clear as a reflection should be, while the other was blurry, but still quite clearly me. I suddenly remembered another memory that had recently returned, where I had seen something quite similar.

I glanced to my left and saw the ghostly Merle, smiling very cheerfully at me. "Hello," she said sweetly.

I groaned. Why did the ghostly Merle's reflection look like me?

"What's the matter?" she asked, looking around.

"You."

She frowned. "Well now, that's not polite, Armilla."

I ignored, looking back to the ghost's reflection. How could it look like me? My eyes fell on my bracelet. I shook my head in annoyance at myself. Why hadn't I thought of using it before? Hm, perhaps I_ had_, but the memory had yet to come back.

I stared down at the emerald, which was now a rather dull green. The emerald was pretty powerful. I had never quite understood if the emerald contained its own magic or if it fed off the magic of the witch. There were such limited records around of the nature of bracelets like mine. Now though, I was fairly certain that the dullness of the once bright emerald had been caused by Merle presence and the weakening of my magic. Severus, upon listening to my theory, had quite agreed.

"Merle is a danger to me," I said, concentrating on the emerald. "She drains me of my magic. I need it back." I held the emerald in the direction of Merle, who was giving me a strange look.

As soon as the emerald was aimed at her, Merle opened her mouth and began to scream like a banshee. Her whole ghostly form began to shudder and the pearly white of her appearance turned green, a similar shade of green to the original colour of my emerald. There seemed to be a sheen covering the green, and no matter at what distance I held the bracelet, nothing would break it and release my magic from within.

I heard footsteps come running and a moment later, Slughorn, Flitwick, Snape and several witches and wizards I didn't know came hurtling into the room, wands at the ready.

Startled, I took a step back. Merle was gone, as expected, leaving me with the explaining to do.

"Good gracious, Armilla!" Slughorn said, lowering his wand. "What in Merlin's name happened? Are you all right?"

"Yes," I stammered, as the rest of them lowered their wands too. "It wasn't me…It was Moaning Myrtle…" I ignored Severus' frown and looked back to Slughorn. "Peeves," I said simply.

"Ah," he chuckled. "Old Peeves should know better than to visit the ladies' room. Hasn't stopped him in the past."

I gave him a small smile, wishing they'd just clear off. I was sure there were plenty of eyes and ears waiting just outside the room to find out the source of the noise. How embarrassing.

Slughorn turned and led the way out and the others followed. Severus gave a quick jerk of his head for me to follow and I joined him, following the crowd out.

Once we were out of the room, I was saved from any curious stares by Slughorn loudly announcing that Moaning Myrtle had been upset by Peeves. This was followed by a good deal of laughter before people resumed their conversations.

Severus, however, was intent to start a new one with me. I followed him to a corner, away from the crowd, and when he turned around, he wore an irritated expression on his face.

"What was that about?" he hissed. "Moaning Myrtle? It certainly wasn't _you_ screaming."

"Merle," I whispered back.

"Merle?" he repeated. "It was that _thing_ screaming?"

"I don't want to talk about it here," I whispered angrily.

"Then let's go," he said, taking a step away.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "We only just got here."

He stepped back. "Socialising is not as important-"

"Severus," I said beseechingly. "Please…"

He glared at me. "It's a new development, Armilla. A potentially dangerous one, I might add."

"It's okay now," I murmured, looking down at my bracelet. No, it _wasn't_ really. The emerald was just the same dull colour as before. My magic was trapped inside Merle and my bracelet couldn't release it. I looked back up at my brother. "Nothing is going to change if I tell you now or if I tell you in an hour."

He didn't say anything for a moment; he merely regarded me through narrowed eyes. "Why were you alone in the bathroom in the first place?" he asked finally, folding his arms.

"I…didn't think," I admitted.

"Clearly."

"Who was I supposed to ask?" I challenged, feeling annoyed. "I'd feel like a lunatic asking someone here to accompany me to the bathroom."

"I do wonder if you see the bigger picture," he said, sneering.

"Of _course_ I do," I said angrily, glaring at him. "Honestly, I'm not an idiot. I can-"

"What you _can_ do," he said scathingly, his eyes flashing, "is retire to your room early if you continue to insist on speaking in such a manner."

I stared at him, trying hard to bite back the retort that was so close to slipping out. I looked away, feeling a lurch in my stomach as the sound of Merle's scream echoed in my head. It had sounded like someone was murdering her.

"We'll talk about it later then?"

"Fine," I muttered, not looking at him.

"Try again," he said warningly.

I paused, distracted by the sound of Merle in my mind, before I turned back to him. I wanted to stay at the party. "Yes," I said quietly, meeting his eye. "We'll talk about it later."

He nodded curtly before sweeping away, leaving me to try and push away the sound of Merle's scream from my mind. It shouldn't have affected me, I knew, seeing as it wasn't really Merle, but all the same, it_ hurt_ to hear it.

I slowly made my way over to where Severus was standing with Slughorn, Trelawney, Harry, Hermione and Luna. I was hoping that my curiosity as to why Severus would be part of such a crowd would distract me from thoughts of Merle.

"-just talking of Harry's natural abilities in Defence, Severus," Slughorn was saying merrily, as I lingered behind Severus.

"It's heartening to know he's got _some_ ability in _something_," Severus said wryly, narrowing his eyes at Harry, who immediately glared back.

"Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?" Slughorn asked.

"Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology…"

"All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror," said Snape, a slightly mocking look on his face.

"Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to be," said Harry, defiantly.

"And a great one you'll make too!" hiccoughed Slughorn, clapping him on the back.

"I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry," Luna suddenly piped up. "The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy. I thought everyone knew that. They're working from within to bring down the Ministry of Magic using a combination of Dark magic and gum disease."

Harry seemed to nearly choke on his mead, while Hermione was looking like she had a new appreciation for Luna.

"Ah, there you are, Armilla!" Slughorn boomed. "Why are you lurking there behind your brother, eh?"

Severus turned, only just noticing my presence and immediately stepped back to allow me into the circle.

"So," Slughorn said, looking cheerfully at me, "I hear you've been quite under the weather these past weeks. Pneumonia, poor dear." He shook his head. "I once had a student die of pneumonia…brilliant lass she was too."

"Very helpful, thank you, Horace," said Severus dryly.

"Oh, but I'm sure you're right as rain now," Slughorn boomed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You'll certainly live."

"So it wasn't the Nargles then, Armilla?" Luna asked, her eyes wide.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Nargles, Miss Lovegood?"

Luna nodded. "Nargle bites are highly infectious, Professor Snape. Surely you knew that. It's a good idea to place anti-Nargle wards on your rooms, sir."

Severus stared at her with the faintest sneer on his face. "Your advice is invaluable, as always, Miss Lovegood."

She beamed at him. "Thank you, sir."

We all turned at the sound of an angry yell near the door.

"Excellent," I heard Harry mutter.

Draco Malfoy was being dragged by his ear into the room by Filch. When I saw Malfoy, something inside me seemed to snap. I felt anger boil up inside me when I looked at him. Damn ferret. How I wished I could finish him off.

"Professor Slughorn," wheezed Filch, excitement evident in his eyes, "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?"

Malfoy roughly pulled himself free of Filch's grip, looking furious. "All right, I wasn't invited!" he said angrily. "I was trying to gatecrash, happy?"

"No, I'm not!" Filch declared, though the sheer maniacal delight on his face more than contradicted his words. "You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the Headmaster say that night-time prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"

"That's all right, Argus, that's all right," said Slughorn, looking more amused than anything else. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; you may stay, Draco."

Both Malfoy and Filch's faces seemed to drop at once, for entirely different reasons. Malfoy had clearly been up to something else…like he had been before.

My eyes suddenly locked with Malfoy's and my heart pounded sharply as something came back to me. The hinge! The cupboard! The Room of Requirement! Was it real or was it a dream? The memory that was slowly weaving its way through my mind seemed so distant that I simply couldn't tell if it was from reality or not.

Malfoy looked away from me indifferently and immediately began thanking Slughorn for his generosity. I stared at him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the greyish tinge to his skin. Not one part of me felt sorry for him.

"It's nothing, nothing," said Slughorn, waving away his thanks. "I did know your grandfather, after all…"

I looked over at Severus. I had to tell him what I knew as soon as possible. Did I still have that hinge? I touched his arm to get his attention, but he shook his head slightly, his eyes on Malfoy.

"-said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known," Malfoy was saying, an arrogant smirk on his face.

"I'd like a word with you, Draco," said Severus suddenly.

"Oh, now, Severus," said Slughorn, hiccoughing again, "it's Christmas, don't be too hard-"

"I'm his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be," said Severus curtly. "Outside, Draco."

I stepped in front of Severus as Malfoy turned away sullenly, heading for the door, Harry and the others were watching him.

"I need to talk to you," I said urgently.

"It can wait," he said, stepping around me.

"No, it can't," I insisted angrily. "It's potentially dangerous," I added, echoing his words from our conversation.

He scowled at me. "What's it about then?"

I looked across the room at Malfoy before turning back. "The hinge," I whispered.

He shook his head. "I have that."

"No, another one. There's another."

"How do you know that?"

"I've got it…or I had it…that night you found me."

He raised an eyebrow. "When you were delirious? Excuse me, Armilla. We'll discuss this later."

"Wait," I said, as he swept away, but he ignored me, heading for Malfoy.

The anger bubbling inside me as I stared at Malfoy neared breaking point.

"Ow!" Malfoy suddenly cried out, clutching his arm.

A number of heads turned in his direction. Severus turned back, his black eyes sweeping the crowd, resting only momentarily on me.

"Come," I heard him say to Malfoy. "That's easily healed."

They left, and I stood there shaking, not registering whatever Luna was saying to me. My eyes fell on a tray floating nearby, or more specifically the little creature underneath it. I had an idea.

o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Sorry this chapter took longer than I thought to get out. I had it planned and half written, but school went back last week so my time was once again completely taken up. It's a good thing I love my job and don't have the same amount of dunderheads as Severus.

Please review! Once again, Michi Mitsurugihas delighted me with more Armilla I and Armilla II drawings. You can view them on the Armilla Yahoo page or by visiting Michi Mitsurugi's profile page. Thanks Michi! You continue to inspire!

Some dialogue and description taken from _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_, pp. 293-301


	27. Christmas

**Chapter 27**

_Luck_, I thought, my eyes fixed upon the house elf beneath the tottering tray of what looked like Father Christmas ginger biscuits. I needed _luck_. Whether needing the luck was more for Severus seeing that I was worth listening to occasionally on matters of importance or more for the bigger picture, I couldn't be sure. I was extremely hopeful that the accidental magic I'd just hit Malfoy with was painful.

I crouched down next to the elf. "Excuse me-"

The house elf looked extremely surprised that I'd crouched down to her level. "You is wanting a Caroling Claus, Miss?" she asked. "Just one bite and you is singing carols all night long."

"Er-no, no thanks," I said hastily, thinking how much Docky would love those biscuits. I lowered my voice. "I would like a favour, actually."

The elf smiled brightly. "Charis is happy to be doing Miss a favour, as long as Charis isn't being in trouble for it."

"Of course not." I straightened up and walked slowly to the other side of the room, pretending to be unaware that a house elf was following me. When I was in a less crowded area, I turned back to the elf.

"Charis, could you find one of the elves that handles the laundering?"

Charis nodded. "I can help with that, Miss. Charis is an excellent ironer. What is needing to be straightened out?"

"Many things," I muttered. "Actually, this is more about a lost item. A couple of weeks ago a small hinge would have been sent to the laundry with the rest of my things. I don't have it now, so I'm hoping that it's lying about somewhere in the laundry."

"Charis understands," the house elf said, nodding vigorously and causing one of the biscuits to bounce off the tray. "We is finding things all the time. Is you wanting to come to the laundry and check yourself, Miss?"

"Yes, that would-" I paused, thinking of Severus' reaction if he came back and I wasn't there. I didn't think sneaking off with a house elf to search the laundry and prove him wrong would be a valid excuse. "No," I said slowly. "Perhaps you would be so kind as to check for me?"

"Yes, Miss," Charis squeaked. "At once!" With that, she disappeared with her tray. I fervently hoped that she would return before Severus did.

"Ah, there you are, Armilla," said a voice behind me. I turned to see Arian standing there, smiling. "Come with me," he said. "I'd like you to meet my cousin. He arrived a few minutes ago."

"Oh," I said, turning back to the spot from where Charis had just vanished, "I-"

But Arian had already turned and was walking away through the crowd. I sighed and began to follow. Bad timing. There was nothing for it; I couldn't really explain the case to Arian. I wasn't sure _anyone_ would really understand if I said that I was waiting on a house elf to return from the laundry to report on the whereabouts of a hinge. Hm, perhaps the Weasley twins would.

"Here she is," Arian said, gesturing to me when we reached a sandy-haired young man in the middle of the room. He looked to be in his late twenties and he was gazing at us with a slight smirk on his face. "Alonzo, this is Armilla Snape. Armilla, this is my cousin, Alonzo Hewitt."

I knew that I shouldn't have been so judgemental, but I didn't like this man simply from the handshake. Alonzo's thumb rubbed my hand when he shook it. I immediately wanted to wrench it back.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Armilla," he drawled, looking down his nose at me. "I've heard so much about you."

"From Arian?" I asked, staring between Arian and Alonzo. "I am barely acquainted with Arian. We've met just once before."

Alonzo raised an eyebrow. "Must have made quite an impression then," he said, before taking a drink from his goblet.

I looked over at Arian again, but he was staring determinedly at Alonzo. I didn't like this cousin at all.

"So," said Alonzo, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You're in your seventh year, I assume?"

"Sixth," I replied.

"Oh." He gave Arian a pointed look and Arian stared blankly back at him.

"And what do you want to do when you leave Hogwarts, Armilla?"

"I am undecided."

Alonzo smirked, looking at Arian again. Why did he keep looking at Arian?

"You don't want an impressive career then?"

Was he daft? "No," I said, frowning slightly at him. "Like I said, I'm undecided."

"Which would generally mean that she has yet to make a choice, Lon," Arian said.

"Ah," he said, smiling again.

"And you?" I asked suddenly, turning so I could see if Charis had returned. "Do you have an impressive career?"

I manage my own bookstore," he said, looking mighty pleased with himself.

"Lon is doing his best to outsell _Flourish and Blotts_," Arian said, frowning.

"Yes, long hours, indeed," Alonzo went on, before taking a long drink. "I'm grateful I have my wife at home, otherwise the house would be a disaster zone by now."

"Lon got married last summer," Arian explained. He shook his head at his cousin. "His house was a putrid sight before Leticia moved in."

I stared at Alonzo. "_Was_ putrid? Shall I assume that you cleaned it before your wife moved in?"

Alonzo laughed heartily. "Not at all. I knew she'd be happy to clean it. She doesn't work after all. She knows how hard I work for the two of us."

"How wonderful," I said dryly.

"She'll be working even harder in a few months," Arian said, clapping Alonzo on the back. "There will be more to do than cooking and cleaning come mid-April."

"Apparently babies are hard work," Alonzo said dismissively. He grinned at me.

I suppressed a shudder. "Congratulations." They were already having a baby?

"Thank you," he said, nodding. "It'll be a relief when the baby's born."

"A relief?" Perhaps it was a difficult pregnancy.

"Yes, to know that everything is as it should be and I have my heir."

"Oh." An heir. How terribly important.

"Oh I agree," Arian said, looking serious. "You need to have an heir."

I looked away and was happily distracted as my eyes fell on Charis over the other side of the room. Her tray was gone now and she was looking about, clearly searching for me. My eyes then fell upon Severus as he walked back in.

I turned to Arian. "Would you excuse me? Severus is looking for me."

Without waiting for an answer, I said my "nice to meet you" to Alonzo and quickly headed away. I walked several steps in Severus' direction before 'accidentally' getting lost in the crowd and ending up next to Charis.

"Find anything?" I asked quietly.

She smiled brightly up at me. "Charis is being successful!" She opened her hand to reveal the bronze hinge.

"Thank you!" I whispered happily, taking it from her. "Was it easy to find?"

She nodded. "Easy. Jenks was knowing exactly what Charis was looking for and he was putting his hand on it right away."

"Thanks, Charis," I said, closing my hand tightly around the hinge as I looked for Severus. "I really appreciate it.

"Charis is happy to be helping," the elf said, as she wandered away.

"So, has he asked you on a date yet?" a familiar voice asked.

"Hi Harry."

"I suppose he's right for you, if you like the Slytherin sort. He _looks_ Slytherin."

I shook my head at him. "You're making assumptions. Unwise."

"Oh, do excuse me," he laughed. "Maybe my eyes have deceived me."

I frowned. "More than likely." I looked over at him. "Luna Lovegood? Excellent choice."

"Now _you're_ making assumptions." He folded his arms. "We came as friends…she was perfectly happy to come as friends."

"Indeed I was," said Luna airily, as she appeared at Harry's other side. "I'm having a lovely time too."

"I'm having a better time now that I can spend time reliving the memory of Malfoy being dragged in by Filch." Harry grinned at the thought.

"He looked a little diseased to me," Luna said, her eyes wide. "I believe he-"

"Do excuse me, Miss Lovegood," my brother interrupted, looking irritated about something. He turned to me. "We'd best be taking our leave now."

I nodded, squeezing the hinge that was still hidden in my hand.

"Don't forget the anti-Nargle wards, Professor," Luna said brightly.

Severus surveyed Luna through narrowed eyes and I waited for the cutting remark that was surely about to pass his lips. "I assure you, I have_ no_ intention of forgetting, Miss Lovegood."

Harry frowned, while Luna beamed.

"Come," said Severus curtly, brushing my arm as he turned around. He crossed the room and seemed to part the crowd like the Red Sea with his black robes. I followed in his wake, trying not to laugh at a vision of my brother as a teenager, practising walking in robes that gave him such an intimidating presence.

"I expected more opposition from you about leaving the party," Severus said, as we headed back to the dungeons. The frosty halls were deserted and we could clearly hear the music from the party off in the distance.

"There wasn't much to keep me there," I said indifferently.

"I didn't know you were on friendly terms with Arian Bletchley," he commented.

"I'm not," I said shortly.

"I see."

"We're not friends," I replied. "I met him at Father's last year, remember?"

"Yes, I know."

Something about his expression bothered me. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing."

We were silent the rest of the way back to our quarters. I realised that I was more tired than I should have been, seeing that I hadn't been at the party for an awfully long time. Perhaps it was a result of not having ventured outside our rooms in weeks because of the pneumonia.

"Eventful, to say the least," Severus said, as he closed the door.

"Yes," I replied quietly, nodding in agreement as I headed towards my bedroom. I wanted to tell Severus about the hinge, but I was feeling more than a little agitated, a mood which generally meant that I was likely to come off second best after a conversation with Severus. I planned to bring it up after taking a shower.

"A word, Armilla," Severus called after me.

I turned around in the corridor and stepped back into the sitting room, watching as Severus sat down on the sofa, helping himself to the tea that had just appeared on the coffee table. Reluctantly, I slowly walked over and sat down heavily next to him.

"We have a few things to discuss, wouldn't you agree?" he asked, passing me a cup of tea.

"I suppose so." I paused, wanting to bite back what I was thinking. "Did you solve whatever Malfoy's problem was?" Nope, not in the least bit successful.

Severus looked sharply at me. "No," he said, after a moment's pause, "I did not."

I looked away, squeezing the hinge that was still in my hand.

"I would have returned earlier," Severus said, fixing me with a look he normally reserved for Gryffindors, "if my time hadn't been taken up healing a certain mark on Draco left by a hex."

"I didn't do it on purpose," I said indignantly.

He shook his head. "I would forgive that sort of accidental magic if you were a little girl, Armilla, but you are _not_. I have taught you to have better control than that."

"Of course it's my fault," I muttered. "He shouldn't have been there in the first place."

"No," my brother agreed, looking irritated, "he shouldn't have been, but that doesn't justify petty, albeit accidental hexing."

I grimaced. "I know I'm wrong-"

"But you're not sorry," he finished for me.

"Not even a little bit." I frowned as I looked over at him. "We _are _talking of the git who made me lose my memory."

"Yes," he said curtly, "and we are therefore even more cautious where that young man is concerned because we know just how far he will go to obtain his goals."

I sighed. "I was annoyed."

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, there's some news."

"Not about Malfoy. _You_ wouldn't take me seriously about the hinge."

"I _was_ taking you seriously, Armilla, however I felt that speaking with Draco took a higher priority at that moment."

I shook my head, looking away.

"About the hinge, then?" he said pointedly. "You said you thought there was another?"

"No," I said crossly, looking back at him. "I_ know_ there is another. I remember what happened now. Here-" I handed the hinge to him.

"Where did you-" Severus started to say, as he leaned forward and placed his cup on the table. He reached into his robes and pulled out the other hinge, which was a perfect match.

"I told you there was another. That's what I cut my foot on."

"Where did you get it?"

"The Room of Requirement."

He frowned at me. "You left the party to go to the Room of Requirement? Alone?"

I shook my head. "No, that's where I got it originally. I found it that night I took my violin there. I took it, but it ended up in the laundry."

He was still frowning. "So you left the party to search the laundry? Alone?"

I made a face. "It's nice to know you have so much faith in me."

"Armilla-"

"I found a house elf at the party," I said quickly, feeling annoyed. "I had _her _search the laundry for lost items because I knew better than to roam the castle by myself. There _is_, after all, a strange curse following me around. It was the house elf, not me, who located the hinge while I was safe at the party. I got lucky."

"Very lucky," he said dryly, examining the hinges. He looked over at me. "I apologise."

Hmph. "Malfoy wants both of them back so he can repair a cupboard in the Room of Requirement."

Severus froze. "A cupboard?" he repeated. "He's repairing a cupboard?"

"Cupboard…cabinet…something like that. I assume that's what he's doing."

I told Severus all I could remember from that night, from Malfoy's rage at not being able to find the hinge to having the hinge protected by the emerald on my bracelet. I described all I could remember about the detail of the cabinet.

"Well," said Severus finally, rubbing his temples. "Some of the boy's behaviour is starting to make sense. The Headmaster should be informed of this immediately. He is leaving for a trip shortly." He summoned a house elf and asked him to check if Dumbledore was still in the castle.

"I…am glad you remembered about the hinge," he said quietly. "I daresay it will be a rather important clue to whatever Draco is up to."

"That's what I was hoping."

"I'm sorry I treated the subject so lightly earlier." Merlin, he looked so uncomfortable when he apologised. "I was a little more than distracted by the manner of Draco's sudden appearance in the room, not to mention how he conducted himself."

I nodded, hiding my smile at the thought of Malfoy's dishevelled, sickly appearance. I still could not bring myself to feel sorry for him. He was the reason for so much suffering in the past few weeks.

"Would you care to explain exactly what happened in the bathroom earlier?" Severus asked, after finishing his tea. "It's certainly a new development."

"I was experimenting," I explained, feeling some energy return at the thought of what had transpired in the bathroom.

"Ah yes, after you were _accidentally _alone in the bathroom."

"That's right," I said evenly, daring him to make another snide remark about it.

He waved a hand aside. "Go on."

I told him all about the appearance of Merle and how her reflection in the mirror looked like me. I told him of my sudden idea to use the emerald on my bracelet on her. Severus was very interested about Merle changing colour and the sheen-like substance that the ghostly form had been coated with.

"I think it's a sign that she's storing my lost magical strength in some way," I finished.

"So it would seem." Severus looked thoughtful. "It is indeed very interesting."

"I need to find a way to break the sheen."

Severus shook his head. "I agree, but I fear that simply breaking it could cause more substantial problems."

"What problem here is more substantial than my lost magic?"

Again, Severus shook his head. "I believe you can work that one out for yourself, Armilla. What generally happens when something fragile breaks?"

"It ends up in many pieces…"

"Exactly," he said, nodding. "Sometimes things are reparable, but they're never the same again."

"Oh." He had a good point. "If I just find a way to burst Merle, the magic could end up being destructive."

"It could," he said, inclining his head. "I do believe that it may recognise you, since in essence, the magic_ is_ you. It may, in a magnetic way, instantly want to become one with you again and use full force to get there."

I said nothing. The idea of that didn't sound good.

"Your magical core has been weakened by the curse," Severus went on, looking lost in thought. "Your body may not respond well to being hit by such a strong force, even if it is by your own magical strength."

"A charm to make it leak then…" I murmured. "I can always use my emerald to ensure the magic finds its way back to me…or maybe I can instruct the emerald to break it open…"

Severus nodded. "It is worth a try."

I stared at him. "You mean you're actually letting me out alone?"

He rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Yes, when we come back after the holidays…though it depends if a certain Mr Bletchley is somewhere in the castle."

This comment made me annoyed. "Well, he doesn't attend school here anymore," I said, getting up, "so it's all right."

"You know what I mean."

"Of _course_ I know what you mean and I don't think you have anything to worry about there." I turned to go to my bedroom.

"I did not say that I was worried."

I paused mid-step and turned around. "What does that mean?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Precisely what I said."

He was so aggravating at times! I turned and almost stomped the way to my bedroom, intending to drown the strange, uncomfortable feeling I had in the shower.

I emerged from the bathroom a fair while later, having taken longer than necessary to get ready for bed. As I started putting some things away, I realised that Dumbledore was out in the sitting room with Severus. It took only a split second to tell that the conversation the two were engaged in was not at all a pleasant one. I made no effort to close my door, which was slightly ajar.

"-You have granted my leave, Headmaster!"

"That was before this new development, Severus. That cabinet must be seen to-"

"Of course it must! I had thought you would delay your trip to investigate."

"My trip is of vital importance. I can delay it no longer than a day, but it may take longer than that to fully investigate the cabinet in question."

"So the happy task falls to me?"

"You have agreed to this, Severus. It would also be prudent for you to watch over young Mr Malfoy over the break-"

"I wrote to Narcissa this morning. I am determined to have Draco spend the Christmas break at home, even if I have to deliver to boy to his mother myself."

"Is that wise?"

"I believe so. No good can come from his staying here during the break."

"It's easier for him to strengthen his connections at home."

"I am willing to take that risk. It will be beneficial-"

"For whom, Severus? The war or your own interests?"

There was a silence. When I heard my brother speak again, I could hear the fury laced in his words. "My interest _is_ in the war, Headmaster. Forgive me, but I was quite certain you were aware of that."

"There now, I meant no insult on your commitment, Severus. It is merely clear now that you have different priorities in your life. I understand that you'd like a break like everyone else over Christmas so that you can spend time with Armilla-"

"That shouldn't be such a huge favour to ask. Armilla is well used to my disappearing when I've promised my time to her. She will probably expect several absences once we return home."

"As long as your first priority is the war, Severus. Armilla must understand that and continue to support your role in this war."

Again, there was a silence. "_Priorities_, Headmaster? If I don't live past this war, I want to leave this life knowing that its purpose was to be Armilla's brother, not your spy."

I felt a pang in my heart at the thought of a world without Severus. How often did he contemplate not living past the war? Of course it was a real possibility, but…it was an established belief in my mind that I could have no world without Severus.

"And Lily, Severus? What about that promise?"

Silence.

Dumbledore continued. "Am I to assume that-"

"Assume nothing, Dumbledore! I will continue to do what is required of me."

I bit my lip as I got into bed, picking up a muggle novel that Matilda had sent me. What promise about Lily?

"Harry continues to improve under your tutelage."

"He has more care now."

"I believe the boy views you differently, Severus."

"How imprudent of him."

"What I meant was he's not so hearty in voicing his displeasure of your lessons."

"How touching."

"Really, Severus!"

"Is that all, Headmaster? It is getting late and I do believe there is a cabinet that awaits our inspection."

"Shall we head up there, then? After you."

"I'll follow on. I do have a sister who might wonder at my disappearance if I don't inform her of it."

"Certainly. I shall see you soon."

I heard the opening and closing of the front door. A moment later, Severus came in, looking even more irritated than earlier.

"I won't pretend you didn't hear all that," he said gruffly, sitting on my bed.

"Not all of it."

"Our trip home may need to be delayed if we haven't solved the problem of the cabinet by Christmas Eve. That gives us a few days."

"Did Dumbledore know what cabinet Malfoy is using?"

He nodded. "He believes it is the Vanishing Cabinet, which broke years ago and was stored in the Room of Requirement. It's a rather dangerous piece of furniture."

"What would he be trying to vanish?"

"The Headmaster mentioned that there's another cabinet somewhere. The idea is that whatever vanishes in one cabinet will appear in the other." Severus shook his head. "It's really an excellent idea of Draco's if I'm following his line of thought."

"Which is?" I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answer.

Severus shook his head again. "I've said too much-"

"So he could get dark objects into the castle?" I suggested. A most unsettling thought occurred to me. "Death Eaters, perhaps?"

Severus stared at me for a moment before giving a slight nod.

"Why wouldn't Malfoy tell you about that?"

"Clearly he doesn't think it is my business to know."

"So, you would act all surprised if Death Eaters suddenly turned up in the castle?"

He got up. "Goodnight, Armilla. Remember to take the Dreamless Sleep."

"I know - too many questions." I reached over and picked up the potion.

"Indeed."

"Severus?"

"Mm?" He turned around, his hand on the doorknob.

"Do you think that…having an heir is the most important thing when one gets married?"

"No," he said simply.

"Oh…are you in the minority of people who think that?"

He frowned. "I suppose I am…for the pureblood families. Most other wizarding couples will have children simply because they choose to…or are simply…not careful."

"Oh."

He was watching me closely. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

"Armilla."

I grimaced. "I was just thinking about it, that's all. I wasn't trying to imply anything."

"It was an odd question to ask."

"I won't ask anything else-"

"Armilla," he said, shaking his head as he walked back into the room. "You're thinking too much about this-"

"Would you care if I married a muggle?" I suddenly asked.

He paused. "I'd care about the implications it would cause-"

"A muggle-born then?"

"No, I wouldn't mind, Armilla, but there would be implications. What-"

"I'm just wondering," I muttered moodily.

He sighed. He leaned down and kissed me. "To save yourself the trouble of such wearisome thoughts," he said, as he straightened up, "just become an old recluse like me."

I looked up. "You're not old. Well, not _really_ old."

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry," I said, as he walked to the door again. "I do think too much on stupid things."

"We're all guilty of it," he said dismissively, turning around again at the door.

"So…," I said slowly, "you would have married a muggle-born, despite what Mother and Father would have said? Even if it meant that any heirs might not inherit the estates?"

"You don't need to have pure blood to inherit either the Merrigan or Snape estate," he answered. "You simply need the blood from that line."

I nodded, waiting for him to answer my other question.

After another pause, he spoke again. "I was never in a position to consider it, Armilla, but yes, if I had been, I wouldn't have cared about marrying a muggle-born."

o o o o o o o o o o o

We finally arrived home for the Christmas break, only hours later than expected instead of days later. To my dismay, the Vanishing Cabinet had not been destroyed, as I had hoped it would. In the middle of the night, Dumbledore had relocated it, and Severus had spent the days following ensuring that it would never carry a trace of magic again.

I wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved about the whole thing. Didn't this mean that Malfoy would only move on to something new? Perhaps something even more dangerous? I wished he would just give up on whatever mission he had. Easier said than done, I supposed, when you were working for the Dark Lord.

Narcissa Malfoy had personally come to take her son home only the day before. Apparently there had been a bit of a tantrum in Severus' office when Malfoy had declared that he wanted to stay at Hogwarts during the break. As Malfoy was the only Slytherin staying, Severus used the excuse that none of his House were permitted to stay for the break and he encouraged them to go home to their families. By the look on Severus' face when he came back to our quarters not long after, Malfoy had not gone quietly.

"Happy Christmas!" Docky squeaked, jumping up and down on the front steps as the carriage came to a halt.

"Happy Christmas, Docky," I replied cheerfully, as I got out of the carriage. I immediately started laughing when I got a closer look at him.

"Docky, take that ridiculous thing off at once," Severus ordered, as he climbed out behind me. "Why you insist on such ludicrous costumes is beyond me. Armilla stop laughing at him."

Docky tapped the red plastic bauble on his nose and it immediately started flashing. "Whoops, wrong one," he said. He tapped it again and a bunch of red tinsel shot out the end of it, hitting my brother and I before most of it landed in the snow.

Severus pursed his lips as he pulled some tinsel off his cloak. "I've got clothes for you for Christmas, Docky," he said snidely. "It'll be a happy Christmas for all."

Docky's ears drooped, but his smile barely faltered. "Master Severus says that every year."

"And every year I become more serious about it," Severus grumbled, closing the carriage door. He turned back to Docky. "I'm going to donate you to the Malfoys."

Docky's large eyes grew even wider. With a face full of fear, he turned and fled up the stairs into the house.

"You're mean," I said, as we ascended the stairs.

"And he asks for it."

"It's a disposition you only need to tolerate for a small amount of time each year."

"Don't make this about my faults, Armilla," Severus said curtly, as we went inside.

"So can I sleep without Dreamless Sleep tonight?" I asked, changing the subject. I wanted to do my best to get the rest of my memories back before school started again.

Severus sighed. "It's Christmas Eve, Armilla. Surely you don't want to spend Christmas Day with a headache?"

"It would be the best Christmas gift ever to have even a couple more memories back," I said seriously, as we walked down to the kitchen.

Severus shook his head. "And a late night for me because I've got to be there to watch you in case something goes wrong."

"What if I go to bed really early?" I suggested, putting Morag's cage down. "And then after I get a couple of memories back I'll take the Dreamless Sleep."

"And a headache potion," Severus said, shaking his head slightly. "I won't be doing this every night of the holidays if the fever starts. We're not going through that process again."

"So I can try tonight?" I asked, sitting at the kitchen bench as Severus went over to the oven to inspect Docky's baked dinner.

"If you go to bed _exceptionally _early," he answered, taking the meal out of the oven. "I mean straight after dinner."

I grinned, getting up to get the plates. "Fine."

He scowled at me as he started cutting up the meat. "I mean it, Armilla. If the fever starts, it's back to Dreamless Sleep for another week."

o o o o o o o o o o o

_I had the feeling I hadn't been here in ages. Everything looked normal: the house, the garden, the clouds… clouds in the kitchen…clouds in the oven…a cloud on Docky's nose. Yes, everything was as it should be._

"_Pull my nose!" Docky said excitedly, jumping up and down._

"_No, Armilla," Severus said, stirring clouds into the gravy. "Don't encourage him."_

"_But it itches!" Docky cried. "Help! Achoo!" Little clouds flew out of his cloud nose and started floating about. "Get them!"_

_I ran to catch them. They were so tiny! I winced as I grabbed hold of each one; I felt a little stab in my head for each one that I caught. Random facts about Wendelin the Weird and Howard the Haughty, amongst other strange memories floated into my mind. Who cared about those things? I jumped for the ones up high. Ugh! I couldn't reach them; something was holding me back._

_Docky was still clutching his cloud nose. "What about my nose? Pull it off! It itches!"_

_I reached out and grabbed onto it. "Ow!" Pulling it was hurting me more than it hurt him!_

"_Ahh!" Docky screamed._

"_Ow!" I fell back, clutching my head. Memories of Grimmauld Place flashed before my eyes. No wait…that was the light in my bedroom._

"That was fun," Severus said wryly, from where he sat on my bed, my muggle novel in his hand. "You've had an hour's sleep…if I can call it that; you've been muttering nonsense for the last fifteen minutes."

I sat up. "I got some memories back…some pointless stuff from History of Magic…some other Transfiguration and Charms stuff…and more memories from Grimmauld Place." I was on a roll. "My head's not aching as badly as before."

"I am glad to hear it." He held out the headache potion to me all the same.

"Can I do it again?" I asked when I had finished the potion.

He handed me the Dreamless Sleep. "Absolutely not."

I frowned. "Why not?"

"One step at a time," he said firmly.

"Severus-"

"Or we can take no steps at all," he said, sending me a warning glance as he stood up.

"As long as I can go back to school with all my memories."

"We'll see." He handed me my muggle book with a look of distaste. "Tell Matilda that if she wants to send you books, find some wizarding ones. These muggle ones are odd."

"Matilda said it's popular," I said.

He pulled a face. "A muggle woman wanting to marry off her five daughters to wealthy men? Riveting."

I shook my head. "You read it?"

"Just the first few pages while you were sleeping." He sneered. "I couldn't bear to go on."

o o o o o o o o o o o

I woke up on Christmas morning to the sound of the strong wind hitting the windows. Sitting up, I watched as snow flew in every direction outside. Morag, who was also awake, was sitting atop her cage, watching the snow.

"I'm sure Aeolus is fine," I told her, wondering where her owl friend was at that moment. I grinned at her. "Happy Anniversary, Morag. It's a year ago today that I got you."

Morag hooted and continued to stare out the window.

Rolling my eyes, I got up and pulled my dressing gown and slippers on. I peeked around the front of my bed and found several packages waiting for me there. I smiled, wondering what Severus had gotten me. I stretched, glancing at the clock. It was only seven in the morning.

At least Severus would be up by now; he was always an early riser. I left my room and walked the short way down the corridor to his bedroom. I knocked on the door, which was slightly ajar, and pushed it open when I heard Severus tell me to come in.

He was sitting on his unmade bed with a piece of folded parchment in his hand. He also hadn't changed yet; he was wearing his dark grey dressing gown and grey socks.

"Good morning," he said, putting the parchment away in a drawer. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas," I said. I pointed at the small pile of gifts at the foot of his bed. "Why haven't you opened your presents?"

"I was waiting for you. Have you opened yours?"

"No."

He picked up his wand from his bedside table and summoned my gifts. A moment later they all floated in and landed on the bed.

"You first then," Severus said, picking up two different packages. "Do you want one of mine or your friends' gift?"

I climbed up on the bed beside him and took the present from him. It was soft. I tore off the silver paper and was met with an unexpected present.

"New slippers?" I examined the soft blue slippers, trying to hide my smile at how similar his gift was to mine. These slippers were much nicer than my old, faded pink ones. "What's wrong with my old slippers?"

"They're unsightly."

"Merle bought those," I said indignantly.

He gave me a mocking smile. "And I'm sure if she was here she'd agree they've become unsightly."

I smiled, pulling on the new ones. "Your turn. That one." I threw the soft package into his lap.

"Tea cosy?" he guessed, feeling the package.

"Nah, maybe for your birthday."

"Damn." He tore open the packaging and pulled out a pair of woolly, blue bed socks.

"Bed socks?"

I grinned. "So you can throw out your old ones."

"What's wrong with my old ones?"

"They're unsightly."

"No, they're not." He shook his head. "I'll throw out the old ones then." He pulled a face. "Blue? Really? You couldn't find grey ones?"

I laughed. "Blue is a much nicer colour. Grey is boring."

"Hmph."

"Actually, I ran out of grey wool."

He looked surprised. "You knitted these?"

I nodded. "I remembered most of what Merle had taught me…I apologise in advance if they unravel after a week."

He shook his head. "I'm sure they won't. What were you knitting with grey wool?"

I nodded at my other present for him. He reached for it and unwrapped it, revealing a dark grey scarf and matching gloves.

"I didn't think you were prepared to wear blue in public," I said, watching as he examined them.

"No," he agreed. He looked over at me and smiled. "I did need replacements. Thank you."

"You don't have to wear them or anything," I said. "Making them took up some time while I was sick."

"Of course I'll wear them," he said, "most especially the bed socks." He passed me a larger, soft package. "There seems to be a theme this year."

I tore off the paper and placed my hand on the beautiful, silvery blue velvet-like material. It was a new travelling cloak. I ran my hands over the blue and silver embroidery.

"It's beautiful," I said softly, holding it up. I had never owned a cloak like it.

"It will adjust to the conditions outside to ensure the right amount of warmth."

"I didn't know such cloaks existed," I said, impressed.

He shook his head. "If they do, I've never seen them. I sent the material to Matilda with the design and she was happy to make it for you. I added the appropriate charms once she'd sent it back."

How awfully clever. I'd had my other travelling cloak since my second year, so I welcomed a new one, especially _this _one. "Thank you," I said sincerely, leaning over to kiss Severus.

I unwrapped gifts from my friends, which turned out to be an assortment of _Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes_ products.

"I bet the Weasley twins did a trade this Christmas," Severus said, as he reached for the other two packages. "Chocolate stars, I wager," he said rolling his eyes at the one from Dumbledore. "Can't break with tradition."

Sure enough, he pulled out a packet of _Honeydukes_ Chocolate Stars, which he gave to me, just like the year before. Docky's present to each of us was far more interesting. We each received a pair of earmuffs, mine purple and Severus' black. They looked innocent enough until I dared to put mine on. I immediately heard a hilarious rendition of _Deck the Halls_, sung by Docky.

"Don't encourage him," Severus said, as I pulled it off, laughing. "Ridiculous elf."

Our Christmas day turned out to be even happier than the year before. The idea of the Dark Lord celebrating Christmas made me cringe, but at least he didn't summon Severus. We spent part of the morning in the greenhouses, before walking through the snow to Mother's grave.

I helped Docky cook Christmas lunch, which turned out to be rather time consuming because Docky had organised a feast that would ensure we had leftovers for days. After lunch, I spent time playing the piano in my bedroom and practising the violin. I'd promised Docky I would play him some Christmas carols, as long as he was sure Severus was out of earshot.

Severus and I had just sat down to supper that evening, discussing our plan to duel the following morning, when the doorbell rang.

"That had better not be Dumbledore," Severus grumbled, as we heard Docky scamper down the hall.

A moment later, it was clear that it certainly not the Headmaster calling in for a visit.

"If you wait here, M'am," Docky was saying, "Docky will inform his master that-"

"Out of my way, elf!"

"Docky begs you to-"

"Do you want to be hexed?"

Severus stood up abruptly and walked around the table, but before he could reach the door, Docky came hurtling into the room, closely followed by an irate Narcissa Malfoy.

"Narcissa!" Severus said, as Docky, clearly not expecting to see Severus so close to the door, collided with my brother's legs and landed in a heap at his feet.

"Mrs Malfoy to see you, sir," Docky said woozily, rubbing his head.

Severus stepped around Docky and extended his hand to Mrs Malfoy, which she shook hastily. I had never seen Mrs Malfoy looking so dishevelled. Her skin had a greyish tone to it and her blonde hair had a strange, matted look to it.

"Severus, I need your help!" she cried, grasping his hand with both of hers. "Draco's gone!"

Severus stared at her. "Gone?" He repeated. "A little more detail would suffice, Narcissa."

Mrs Malfoy let go of him and her hands flailed about as she spoke. "Disappeared!" she yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I went to his bedroom to check on him, but he wasn't there!" She covered her face with her hands.

"Did he give you any indication at all that he was thinking of leaving?" Severus asked quietly, after a moment's silence.

Mrs Malfoy, her hands still covering her face, shook her head. After another pause, in which the only sound was Docky leaving the room with a slight limp, she finally lowered her hands and met my brother's gaze.

"He's been so _angry_, Severus. He's broken so many things since he's come home… Lucius would have-" She looked away, blinking back tears. "It wouldn't have happened if Lucius had been home. Something's happened, I know it has." She pulled a handkerchief from her robes and dabbed at her eyes.

"Narcissa-"

"I don't know what's worse," she said heavily, looking at Severus again. "Either Draco has disappeared of his own accord, or it's the Dark Lord's doing. If he's trying to hide himself from the Dark Lord, he's being utterly foolish."

"Indeed he is."

"The Dark Lord is waiting to kill him, Severus, I know he is!" Mrs Malfoy covered her face with her hands again. "Draco's mind hasn't been sound since he took the Mark. This is my son, Severus! Not a pawn in the Dark Lord's game!"

Severus looked back at me and jerked his head in the direction of the door. Taking the cue, I silently left the room, intending to see if Docky was all right.

I walked down the kitchen stairs, wondering where Malfoy was at that moment. _Had_ he simply decided to disappear? Had removing the Vanishing Cabinet pushed him over the edge? What if You-Know-Who had become angry and was keeping him somewhere, torturing him?

o o o o o o o o o o o

The end of January came and still there had been no word from Draco Malfoy. He was listed as missing in the papers, and according to Severus, the Dark Lord hadn't mentioned him once. This was practically confirmation that You-Know-Who was perfectly aware of Malfoy's whereabouts. After all, wouldn't he have sought him out by now if Malfoy had run off?

Narcissa Malfoy's understandable distress at the situation had rendered her indisposed to venturing outside her home. Severus told me little of what he knew of the situation, except that Bellatrix Lestrange frequented Malfoy Manor far more often now.

I now had the majority of my memories back. The thought of the whole experience still enabled me to think of Malfoy with very little sympathy. I occasionally still stumbled across small clouds in my dreams, but on the whole, I was feeling much better. I no longer had the feeling that parts of my mind were missing.

Going back to classes in January was wonderful. It gave life the sort of normalcy that was appreciated in the midst of a war. Severus' thirty-seventh birthday was celebrated with minimal fuss, as he had expressly ordered. I'd gotten Charis, the house elf I'd virtually befriended, to bake him a dark chocolate cake and we'd had dinner that night in our quarters, while he'd grumbled about the staff singing happy birthday to him in the staffroom. He had been particularly delighted with a new invention of mine, which I had presented to him as his birthday gift. I had found a rather grumpy looking pewter wizard, about the size of my knight, Rodrigo, and I had charmed him to offer scathing comments when anyone looked in his direction. He lived on a shelf in our sitting room and offered a variety of comments in his gruff voice, like:

_I will try being nicer if you try being smarter_

_I'm smiling. This should scare you._

_I have multiple personalities and none of them like you._

My personal favourite was his simple "Go away." Severus had looked uncertain whether to be amused or not when I had confirmed that I had come up with the comments myself. They made us laugh at any rate, and in a world where everyone suffered from nerves, it was a very welcome laugh.

Everyone seemed more on edge than ever before, especially because a number of students had missing family members. News arrived almost daily to various students, informing them of missing persons or the deaths of loved ones. Students were seen leaving with their parents at least twice a week.

Lisa's uncle, who worked at the Ministry, had been missing for weeks, and her aunt and cousins had gone into hiding. Terry's family were considering moving abroad, more so recently due to the number of sudden deaths of witches and wizards in his village.

I had no cousins, aunts or uncles to speak of. My comfort was that I saw Severus on a daily basis. Speaking of comforting things, I would have thought ages ago that not seeing the ghostly Merle would be a great comfort. Now that I was allowed to see her and test out my new theory, I hadn't seen her once! I wondered if turning my bracelet on her the last time had caused some damage. I wanted to see her again – how else would I get my magic back? I didn't like the faded green of the emerald on my bracelet.

As I was getting ready for bed on the first Thursday in February, there came a tapping at the window.

"At last," said Mandy, going to the window. "That must be my letter from Ruby. I hope she's all right."

Ruby had not come back after the holidays. We didn't have much information except that someone in her family was ill. According to Lisa, she had started going home on weekends during the last few weeks of December. She wasn't expected to come back.

Mandy opened the window and let the large, black owl in. It immediately flew to me and landed on my bedside table. It hooted, holding out its leg to me. I frowned as I untied the letter, recognising the Ministry stamp on the envelope. How strange. With another hoot, the owl took off and swooped out the window.

Mandy made a sound of annoyance as she closed the window. "She could at least write," she muttered, stomping over to her bed.

"Maybe she's got better things to do," Lisa said sleepily from her bed. "No one wants to hear you wallow over Anthony Goldstein."

"Shut up, Lisa."

I sat down on my bed as I pulled the parchment out of the envelope. Why would the Ministry be contacting me?

_Thursday, 6__th__ February, 1997_

_Dear Miss Snape,_

_It is with hearty condolences that we inform you of the death of your father, Aurelius Merula Snape. His death was noted on our records as occurring at 11:03am on this day. The nature of his death has yet to be determined._

_You are receiving this information as you, Armilla Lucia Kemp Snape, are listed as a beneficiary on the Last Will and Testament of the late Mr Snape. We invite you to present yourself with your guardian at the Ministry on Saturday, 8__th__ February at 9:00am for an interview with me, so that the Will can be discussed with you and the other beneficiary._

_Hoping you are well,_

_Titus Rosethorne_

_Family Solicitor _

o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Yes, I know, a LOOOONG time between updates, but it's here now and I hope it was enjoyed. The delay could not be helped.

I was going to bypass the Christmas part of this chapter and just make reference to its passing, but I felt it deserved its place in the story simply for the fluffy side of things. It was by no means central to the main plot, but I think the little scenes that appeared in this chapter are more about the obvious growth of the relationship between Severus and Armilla.


	28. A New Relation

**Chapter 28**

"Something wrong, Mill?"

I looked up, startled, realising that there were people in the room with me. For a moment, it had seemed like I had entered a completely different universe. Father was _dead_.

"Why would the Ministry be writing to you?" Mandy asked gruffly, sitting down on her bed.

"They're not," I said, trying to make my voice sound airy, like I hadn't just found out that my father had died. I was aware of three pairs of eyes on me as I folded the parchment. "Wrong addressee," I told them. "This is a letter for my brother. The Ministry made a mistake."

Padma and Mandy seemed to accept that; they immediately went about their business, Mandy muttering away about the value of her friendship with Ruby. Lisa, on the other hand, knew something wasn't right.

"I suppose you're going to take it down to Professor Snape then," she said, looking completely nonchalant. "I'm sure he'd want his mail. Want me to walk down with you?"

I shook my head. "No," I answered, trying to force a weak smile. "I'll be fine." After all, Severus had said that it was okay again for me to be alone in the castle. Merlin help Merle if I ran into her.

I pulled my hooded jacket over my pyjamas and pulled on the slippers Severus had given me for Christmas. "I might stay the night in the dungeons," I told Lisa, slipping the letter into my pocket with my wand.

She nodded, looking uncomfortable, but not daring to say anything in front of the other girls.

I slipped out of the room and silently made my way down the stairs and into the common room. It was nearly nine-thirty and only a few students remained in the room, bent over their books. They barely spared me a glance as I crossed the room and let myself out.

I walked through the draughty halls, pulling my jacket closely around myself. It was past curfew and I was hoping not to run into any patrolling teachers or ghosts. I could easily have sent Severus a message in my chocolate frog card and had him transport me to the dungeons, but I needed time to think.

Father was dead. I shivered, not sure whether this was a reaction of my thoughts or the cold. There I was, calmly walking to the dungeons to show him the information on the letter. I shook my head, feeling perplexed. Was I upset? Merlin, no. This was Father. Father! The man who had never seen me for the person I was; the man who had only seen a pureblood daughter who could make a good marriage to a pureblood wizard from a respectable family. I bit my lip. This was the man who had seen fit to take me by force from the school and use the Cruciatus Curse on me.

Was I upset by his death? How could I be?

How had he died? It was so sudden. All I knew was that he had still been in hiding. The last time I had seen him was when I'd disarmed him and that was nearly eight months ago. What had happened to him in that time? Had the Dark Lord finally gotten to him? I'd had the impression from Severus that You-Know-Who wasn't bothering with Father at the moment because he had far more important things on his mind. How had he died then?

I reached the bottom of the stairs that led to the dungeons, sighing in relied that I'd just missed the Bloody Baron in the Entrance Hall. I rounded a corner and walked right into my brother.

"Armilla!" he said, grabbing onto my arms as I tried to prevent myself from falling back. My heart was pounding from the shock of bumping into him. Where had he learnt to walk so silently? "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you," I whispered. "It couldn't wait."

He immediately turned and gestured for me to follow. I hurried along beside him, somehow guessing that he had yet to receive his own letter that Father had died.

"Here I was patrolling the corridors, looking for miscreants out of bed," Severus muttered, as we reached the portrait that concealed our quarters, "and somehow, I find _you_."

"How fortunate," I replied, as Severus stood back to let me enter before him.

"What is it?" Severus asked, as soon as he'd closed the door. "What's happened?"

"Father," I said, pulling the parchment from my pocket. "He died this morning."

Severus looked at me as if I had two heads. "Here," I said, pushing the parchment into his hands. "Read it."

He unfolded the parchment and I watched him closely as he read the contents of Titus Rosethorne's letter. His expression remained completely neutral.

"Well," he said quietly, folding the parchment again. "I am glad you received correspondence from the Ministry." He shook his head. "I wonder if the Ministry will see fit to inform _me_."

I felt uncomfortable. The fact that I was the heir to the Snape Estate and not Severus was a subject we had discussed very little. Severus had assured me that he was perfectly satisfied to have inherited the Merrigan Estate from Mother and did not begrudge me being first in line to Father's property. A thought suddenly came to me. Perhaps Father had changed his mind!

"Won't you receive a letter?" I asked, cringing as he stormed about the room, directing his wand at books on the coffee table. The books flew back to their places on the shelves with more force than necessary.

"Inform me of my father's death?" Severus snapped, his expression becoming harsher, "of course not! Why should_ I_ be informed?"

"Wouldn't you be the other beneficiary?"

He turned around and gave me an incredulous look. "_Me_?" he said scathingly, "the other beneficiary?"

I nodded. 

He shook his head at me. "You think he saw the Light and changed his mind? You think him capable of mercy?"

I looked away, shaking my head.

"Of _course_ I'm not the other beneficiary," he said. "Father would as soon have-" 

"Forget I suggested it," I said shortly. "I don't know why I thought of such a thing."

He was silent. He looked around, probably for more books to put away.

"I don't know what to say," I said finally, breaking the awkward silence.

Severus looked over at me. "Why would you need to say anything?" he said darkly. "Father is dead. What more is there to say?"

"Nothing then," I replied. "I'm going to bed."

He didn't say anything; he merely nodded as he looked away.

I walked to my bedroom, feeling queasy. A family death was not supposed to feel this way. I knew Severus wouldn't be utterly distraught at the loss of his father, but he was certainly feeling _something_. I was quite sure it was anger.

I laid awake in bed for a long time, going through every memory I had of my father. He had been capable of love; his tendency for carrying around reminders of my mother had told me that. His downfall had been his controlling nature. He had ruled over the household and had subsequently lost his son and his wife.

He had lost his daughter too. I rolled over, sighing when I caught sight of the clock. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning. Severus had returned about an hour ago. I had heard him leave not long after I had gone to bed. Whether he had returned to his patrolling duties or had gone to see Dumbledore, I couldn't be sure.

It was at least two in the morning before I finally fell asleep. My failure to occlude properly resulted in several nightmares, each of them prominently featuring Father. I felt like I hadn't slept at all when I got up on Friday morning.

I dressed for school and then made my way out to the sitting room, yawning as I went. I found Severus seated at the dining table, looking just as I felt. He was clutching his coffee and was staring at _The Daily Prophet_. I was quite certain that he had no idea what was even on the front page; he looked as if his mind was elsewhere.

I sat down at the table and reluctantly reached for the teapot. Pouring myself tea gave me something to do, something to fill in the time before I had to make uncomfortable conversation.

"I received a letter from the Ministry very late last night," Severus said quietly, his eyes now watching me pour the tea.

"So they did inform you then." I wasn't about to ask if he was the other beneficiary after all.

He nodded. "A standard, three line letter. Very heart warming."

I said nothing for a moment, staring at my tea instead. "They should have written to you first," I said finally.

"No," he said, passing me the crumpets. "It is protocol that you are informed first. They only contacted me because Father must have given that direction in his documents at Ministry."

We were silent again. I didn't eat anything; the sight of food this morning made me feel nauseous. "How do you think he died?"

"My guess is as good as yours," he replied indifferently. He stood up. "I don't think it necessary, but the Headmaster believes these circumstances calls for me to take leave of my classes today. You are also excused from yours."

I frowned. "What am I to do?" It wasn't like we were stricken with grief. We didn't need the time to absorb the devastation. I suppressed a shudder. The thought of my reaction to all this really bothered me.

"Whatever you like," he said dismissively. "I plan to brew several potions for Madam Pomfrey's hospital stock."

I thought for a moment; I honestly believed Severus needed time to himself. He would sooner pay Harry Potter a compliment before he admitted that Father's death had upset him. I was certain that he was upset. I didn't think he was distressed in the way one would normally be over the death of a father, but it had left him edgy and uncomfortable because he wasn't sure how to react.

I nearly laughed out loud at my own logic. Wasn't my belief about Severus' emotions exactly the same as mine?

"I think I'll just go to my classes."

I waited for Severus to argue about this; for a moment I thought he was about to. He frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but then decided against it.

"I don't want spend time catching up on missed classes."

"Suit yourself." He turned and disappeared down the hall and into his lab.

Sighing, I turned back to my tea. You're an orphan now, a voice in my head said. I nearly laughed out loud at the thought. I wasn't an orphan really; I had Severus. Father's death hadn't really changed anything.

o o o o o o o o o o o

Lisa knew better than to ask about what had transpired the night before. Terry also knew something was up, but wisely refrained from asking questions. I actually wanted to talk to them about Father, but I didn't think I should go about announcing it. I didn't yet know the circumstances of his death; it could have been Death Eater activity for all I knew.

The day didn't get much better after I left Severus to himself in the dungeons. The usual chatter of students at breakfast was interrupted by Professor Sprout escorting a couple of boys out of the Great Hall. The brothers, a first and a fourth year in Hufflepuff House, had just learnt that their parents had been found dead. The first year boy shook with sobs as he clung to his brother's arm. The older boy merely looked stunned and left the hall as if he was in a dream world.

Grief. That's what grief was. That was how I had felt when Merle had died. It was that sort of knot in your stomach that wouldn't go away, no matter how much you wanted it to. It was that lump in throat that threatened to take up permanent residence there. It was that constant voice in your head that reminded you of the truth every time you dared to become distracted.

Father? How could I be blamed for not mourning him? Had he really been Father to me? No, not really.

I spent the morning feeling annoyed, for no apparent reason. The slightest thing irritated me: the second year Gryffindors making a racket in the halls, Professor McGonagall giving out more homework than was necessary (in my opinion), Peeves just _being _there...By morning break, my friends were giving me a wide berth and I wondered off on my own.

I welcomed going to Defence class, which was the last class before lunch. Slughorn had been having practical lessons lately and I felt like I had enough energy to duel the rest of the day. This was what I needed.

Fortunately, Slughorn was happy to have another day of duelling, asking us to focus more on our own defence than attack. This was no problem at all; though my magic wasn't what it should be, thanks to the ghostly Merle, I could hold up a mental shield steady enough to hold off the other Sixth Years. It was Severus who got right through them lately.

We swapped partners every three minutes so that we wouldn't become used to the style of our opponent's attack. This didn't bother me at all. As long and I could hold me wand and create some force, I was fine.

"Easy there, Miss Snape!" Slughorn called, as Ron Weasley was blasted off his feet. "Remember, focus more on your defence than your attack."

"I was, sir," I said, watching as Ron got to his feet, mumbling and looking for his wand.

"Ah yes…well," he stuttered, frowning slightly at me, "I had to send Miss Brown to the hospital wing with a bloodied nose. You seem to be quite…er…_forceful_ with your duelling style today."

I nodded. "I hope so. Being forceful with duelling is my aim, Professor."

His frown deepened. "I don't doubt it, Miss Snape. Delivering with the right force is a skill I encourage every student to perfect. I was referring in particular to the _style _in which you're delivering that force today. I have not seen it in you before."

Now it was my turn to frown. I looked back at Ron, who was rubbing a bump on his knee.

"Carry on," Slughorn said, walking away. "Try teaching your opponent too."

We changed partners a moment later and I found that Slughorn's words had changed my feelings about losing all my energy through duelling.

"Gee, what an easy target," a voice nearby said, "just standing there, lost in thought."

I was jerked back to my senses and I immediately raised my wand.

"Just kidding," Harry said, also raising his wand. "What's up with you today?"

"Nothing," I grumbled.

"Sure." He immediately attacked and I felt a stronger force against my shield. _Finally_, a worthy opponent. We duelled for the full three minutes and it wasn't until I heard Slughorn calling us to order that I realised that the whole class had been watching us.

"Well done, Mr Potter," Slughorn said approvingly. "Well done, Miss Snape. I am sure you would both do us proud on a battlefield, but the bell has gone and we'd all like to go to lunch."

I walked with my friends to the Great Hall, listening to them recount their achievements in duelling that lesson.

When we sat down in the Great Hall, I noticed that Severus was there, talking with Dumbledore. I watched him for a minute, deep in conversation in the Headmaster. McGonagall came and sat down next to Dumbledore, while Slughorn sat on the other side of my brother. A moment later, Slughorn caught Severus' attention and nodded in the direction of the Ravenclaw table. I immediately looked away and concentrated on picking at the food.

"I'm guessing that whatever happened is something that you can't reveal, Mill," Lisa said quietly in my ear, "but we're here all the same."

I nodded. "Thanks." I smiled. "I guess I'm not a very good at acting today." I should have been hiding my emotions better, but I'd been too distracted.

Terry shook his head. "If you're trying to act like you're on top of the world, then you have some way to go in convincing us."

I gave a dry laugh, watching as Severus got up from the table. I met his eye and he gave a slight jerk of his head before disappearing out the door behind the staff table, putting his hand in a pocket of his robes as he went.

I waited for a moment before taking my chocolate frog card out of my pocket. Holding the card in my lap under the table, I activated it. I found a message waiting for me.

_If it's duelling you need, you will find a very willing opponent in me._

I felt a lump in my throat and blinked back the tears that had suddenly sprung into my eyes. I got up, putting the chocolate frog card back in my pocket. "I'll see you later," I told my friends. "I'm going down to the dungeons."

They nodded and I slowly made my way out of the Great Hall, narrowly avoiding Lavender Brown, who had just walked in with a slightly swollen nose.

When I finally reached our quarters in the dungeons, I felt exhausted. Maybe I had overdone it a little with the duelling. _Like my father_, I thought. He never learned how to channel his magic to his advantage; he had always used it recklessly. _Like father, like daughter today_, I thought grimly.

I walked into the sitting room and found it empty. I made my way to the lab, from where I could hear the sound of clinking bottles.

I found Severus, taking a few bottles out of the cupboard. I walked into the room and stood by the bench as he put the last bottle away.

"Good afternoon," Severus said, closing the cupboard door. He looked at me as he straightened up. "You're a little early, aren't you?"

I shook my head. "No."

I watched as he set up a cauldron and organised the ingredient on the bench. He pushed an old piece of parchment towards me. "Make yourself useful."

I glanced at the parchment and saw that he was making a laryngitis potion for Madam Pomfrey. Pulling some roots towards me, I began to chop them into thin pieces.

We worked in complete silence for a long time, each of us absorbed in our own tasks. It wasn't until the potion was completed and bottled that Severus finally spoke.

"I assume you want to be excused from classes this afternoon?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Tea," he said, putting the last of the ingredients away.

I followed him out to the sitting room, where a tea tray was already waiting.

"Lachlan and Alex Ponze left today," I said quietly, sitting down on the sofa. The faces of the poor Hufflepuff boys were etched in my memory.

Severus nodded, pouring the tea. "It certainly was far from a happy reason for leaving the school."

"I am sorry for them."

"Many are."

I shook my head. "I am sorry for us too."

"I don't believe the loss of our father is quite as devastating," he said, passing me a cup.

"_Exactly_. That's why I feel sorry."

He stared at me for a moment, his face blank. "I hadn't thought of it that way," he said quietly.

"It seems so wrong that we should feel so little grief about this."

He shook his head. "But that wasn't of our own doing, Armilla."

"I know that – it's just, it's not like I'm feeling nothing at all. I'm not sad, but I feel something and I'm not sure what it is."

"That's a feeling in itself," Severus. "The feeling of not knowing or understanding is often worse than the clear feelings."

I met his eye. "Aren't you feeling it too?"

Slowly, he nodded. "I have long accepted that I wasn't meant to have an ideal father and so I haven't really missed the absence of a proper one. I've no doubt I would have taken a number of different paths in my youth if I'd been raised by a kinder man. I am thankful for Mother." He shook his head. "I cannot genuinely find any sorrow within me, and yes, I do feel a little…awkward at that," he looked over at me, "perhaps not as acutely as you do, but then, you're a much kinder person than I."

I smiled. "Common knowledge."

"Of course."

"If I inherit the house-"

"Not _if_, Armilla. You _will_ inherit the house."

I frowned. "But there's another beneficiary."

He shook his head. "Even so, I am certain that you will receive the house. You and I are the last two bearing the name Snape and Father would have preferred for someone bearing the surname to be the heir."

"I don't want the house."

"That won't stop you from inheriting it. _Want _does not come into the equation."

"You know what I mean," I said crossly.

He nodded. "I do. It's not the house's fault though that Father was such a snooty-nosed bigot."

"Yes, but it's still _receiving_ something from him."

He inclined his head. "It is, but look at it in a different way. Why not take the opportunity to change the values that were one held dear in that house?" He smirked. "If you want to live there in future, marry a half blood and have lots of children so you can bring muggle blood into the family. Father would have been _so_ proud. It would be the ultimate revenge."

I smiled. "I suppose so. As long as I can be without Jiffy."

He sneered. "Jiffy would be harmless really, now that Father isn't around. He answers to you. He's just been badly influenced."

"Harmless?" I repeated. "Why don't you take him and I'll have Docky. You don't even like Docky."

"A tempting offer," Severus said, after draining his cup, "but Docky wouldn't cope with leaving the Merrigan Estate. He loved our mother too much. To remove him would kill his spirit…the absurd spirit he has."

"Jiffy it is, then," I grumbled, picking up my cup again.

"Hurry up," Severus said, standing up. "I want to duel." He took out his wand. "And since you managed to give Miss Brown a bloodied nose today with your force, without casting charm _meant_ to do that, I will be sure to employ increased power."

I grimaced. "Oh good."

o o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Take a seat, Miss Snape, Mr Rosethorne will be with you shortly," the secretary said, giving me a sickly smile. I suppressed a shudder as I turned to sit down next to Severus, who had already seated himself. The woman reminded me a little too much of Umbridge.

"The other beneficiary isn't punctual," Severus murmured, folding his arms.

"We're ten minutes early," I whispered back.

"Even so."

The ten minutes felt like ten hours as we waited. By the time the door to Titus Rosethorne's office opened, the second person benefiting from Father's will still hadn't shown up.

Titus Rosethorne was a tall, thin wizard with mousy brown hair down to his shoulders. He wore small spectacles that reminded me of Dumbledore's own half-moon glasses.

"Armilla Snape," he said, smiling as he opened the door all the way. He looked around as Severus and I got up. "The other beneficiary isn't here yet?" he asked his secretary.

"_Obviously_," Severus muttered, sneering at Rosethorne.

"Severus," I said quietly, brushing my hand over his.

He stopped sneering and looked away.

"Not yet," the secretary replied airily, as she unscrewed a bottle of ink.

Rosethorne didn't look too bothered. "Well, then, lets hope she arrives in the next few minutes."

She? I looked at Severus and he shook his head slightly.

"Miss Snape," Rosethorne said pleasantly, extending his hand to me. "I extend my sincerest condolences to you over the loss of your poor father."

"Thank you," I said, shaking his hand.

Rosethorne turned to my brother, looking a little wary. "Severus Snape," he said, extending his hand. "I remember you."

Severus frowned as he shook the man's hand. He didn't enquire, but Rosethorne elaborated anyway.

"I was in my sixth year at Hogwarts when you arrived for your first year," he said, bouncing on his heals.

"I don't remember you," Severus said flatly.

Instead of looking affronted, Rosethorne laughed merrily. "Of course you don't. I was in Hufflepuff. Slytherins never pay attention to the Hufflepuffs." He gave Severus a sly grin. "But we Hufflepuffs learnt to know and be wary of every one of the Slytherins."

"Indeed," Severus said dryly.

Rosethorne's smile faltered slightly. "Er, well, you'd best come in then. Hopefully we won't be waiting long."

We were shown into the office, a bright, airy room decorated in pale yellow. Rosethorne sat behind his desk, while Severus and I occupied two of the three chairs in front of it. I sat in the middle one, thinking it was probably best not to put my brother next to whoever the other beneficiary was.

"May I get you anything to drink?" Rosethorne asked.

"No, thank you," we said in unison. I was feeling impatient now. It was utterly rude of the other person not to be on time.

We sat in the office for nearly ten minutes before there was a knock at the door. The idle chitchat in that time had been tedious, especially with Severus' conversation skills having too much of a sarcastic tone to them.

"Excellent," said Rosethorne, going to the door. He opened it and I felt my heart drop when I saw who it was.

Madam Rougier.

The glass in the picture frames around the room suddenly cracked.

Rosethorne swung around, looking shocked at the glass fell to the floor. "Goodness me!" he exclaimed.

Severus didn't say anything. As I glanced at him, he gave me a disapproving look and took out his wand. Silently, he swiftly waved it and all the pieces of glass returned to their rightful places and sealed themselves.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Rougier said, giving Rosethorne what I assume she thought was a sweet look.

"Not at all, not at all," he replied, shaking her hand. "Come in and sit down."

"I could have you arrested," Severus said, glaring daggers at the woman.

Rougier blinked. "Whatever for?"

He shook his head. "Don't play ignorant, you daft woman! Assistance in the kidnapping of my sister for one-"

"I am sure I know nothing of what you are talking about. I have no memory of such a thing. I would never-"

"Obliviated, were you?" I asked, feeling this must be the case. How else could she so confidently show herself in public? Severus had obviously realised the same thing. The place where they'd been hiding had been secured by the Fidelius charm. The evidence would come from my memory alone and it would be a very public trial. I knew Rougier would claim that she had been under the Imperious Curse the whole time. Why wouldn't she? As far as I knew, she had no criminal record and Father had been a known Death Eater. It could quite easily go her way.

Rougier gave me a big smile as she sat down, completely ignoring Severus.

"Your magic's a bit erratic as the moment, is it, sweetheart?" she asked, sitting down.

"Don't you _dare _speak to her in such a manner," Severus said darkly, glaring at Rougier.

"Why not?" she asked, looking surprised. "I care about her wellbeing."

Severus glowered at her. "What you care about-"

"Professor Snape," Rosethorne interrupted, "Mrs Snape, I do believe it's time we begin. Time is galleons, after all."

Now my heart seemed to jump up into my throat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Severus freeze, his eyes now fixed on the solicitor. "_Mrs_ Snape?" I said tentatively.

Rosethorne nodded. "I do apologise. I failed to make the introductions. He glanced at Severus. "Though it seems you already know each other." He gestured to each of us. "Mrs Zita Snape, Miss Armilla Snape, Professor Severus Snape. Now I will formally say that Mrs Snape and Miss Snape are beneficiaries of the will of Aurelius Merula Snape, while Professor Snape is here as guardian to his sister."

"Care to explain the _Mrs_?" Severus growled.

"Oh, Aurelius and I had recently gotten married, you see," Rougier said cheerfully.

If it weren't for my sudden and very inconvenient numbness, I would have punched the hag right on the nose. How dare she marry my father? Money hungry, good for nothing- 

"Whirlwind romance, was it?" my brother asked.

Rougier pursed her lips. "It just so happened that I was just his type-"

"What? A trophy wife?" I interrupted.

She turned on me. "Aurelius needed some support in his life! He had two ungrateful children-"

"Ahem. Well, let's begin, shall we?" Rosethorne.

"Yes, lets," Severus said curtly, glaring daggers at Rougier, "before this miserable old hag finds another wealthy widower to marry."

Looking incensed, Rougier opened her mouth to retaliate, but Rosethorne interrupted once more.

"I shall begin the proceedings by reading out the Last Will and Testament of Aurelius Merula Snape, born February 1, 1930, died February 6, 1997." Rosethorne went on, reading the necessary legal requirements. When he got to the inheritance of the Snape Estate, I saw Rougier lean forward slightly in her seat.

"The Snape Estate, which of course, includes the house and contents, surrounding land, and the contents of the Gringotts vault, has been left entirely to Aurelius Snape's second child, Armilla Lucia Kemp Snape."

Rougier, quite unexpectedly to me, did not look at all perturbed by this news.

"This is on the condition," Rosethorne went on, "that Miss Snape provides an annual sum to Mrs Zita Snape for living conditions for the period of five years, of no more than 10,000 Galleons."

Rougier stood up suddenly, a look of outrage on her face. "10,000 Galleons!" she shrieked. "That's not what we agreed! That amount will barely see me through six months."

"Cease your purchasing in designer boutiques, Madam," my brother drawled, "and you'll see how one can live quite sufficiently off a stolen salary."

"Stolen?" Rougier repeated, narrowing her eyes. "I was his wife!"

"You were his death!" Severus retorted.

"Are you making an accusation?"

"Professor Snape! Mrs Snape!" Rosethorne said sharply, attempting to look stern, "I will not have this in my office!"

Both Severus and Rougier were silent; I could feel the fury coming off each of them.

Rosethorne straightened the parchment in front of him. "I am by no means finished. As I was saying, Miss Snape will allot no more than 10,000 Galleons of her estate to Mrs Snape annually for the period of five years. After this time, all payment will cease. In the case of there being another, younger child of the Snape line, fathered by Aurelius Snape, Miss Snape would be legally obligated to provide the living expenses of that child until he or she became of age. The sum of the living expenses will be in accordance with what the Ministry deems fit. From the age of the child's seventeenth birthday, it is up to the discretion of Miss Snape to provide further financial support."

Rosethorne cleared his throat and went on. "This is an extra note in Aurelius Snape's original will, which originally applied to his eldest child, but now applies to Armilla. In the case of the inheriting child of Aurelius Snape having no magical ability, in other words, being a Squib, the child be receive a yearly allowance from the estate, but will not inherit it. In this case, the estate would be passed to the next of kin, as long as the bearer has the blood of the Snape line, which could mean going much further back in the family tree to find descendants." He looked up. "This of course, does not apply, as Miss Snape has proven magical ability."

It wasn't as bad as it could have been. It wasn't as if Rougier has inherited Father's estate. True, I wasn't sure that I wanted it at all, but I knew that Rougier certainly wasn't worthy of it. It was bad enough that I had to pay the blasted woman an annual sum for five years. To me, it was nothing short of theft.

"Has the body been located?" Severus asked. "He had, after all, been in hiding these last eight months."

"Yes," Rosethorne answered, rifling through the parchments on his desk. "His body remains at Snape Manor. It was there that he died. The cause of death was attributed to dark magic of some kind." He put the parchments on the desk and interlaced his fingers as he looked up at us. "Being a known Death Eater of course, and having been absent for months," he said, looking uncomfortable as he avoided my brother's eye, "there are a number of people who could be responsible for this man's death."

I glanced over at Rougier, who was making a show of mopping her eyes with a lace handkerchief. I didn't feel at all uncomfortable about believing that Rougier had been responsible for Father's death. It was absurd to think that a woman like her could have fallen in love with a man like Father.

"It is left to Miss Snape to organise the funeral as she wishes, as long as the ceremony takes place at the Snape Estate and Aurelius Snape is buried at the cemetery in the grounds." He squinted at another note on the parchment. "And he is to be buried with violets and a photo of Hazel Ianthe Snape, his first wife."

"Violets were my mother's favourite flowers," I told Rougier. "Why isn't he being buried with _your_ photo?"

"It would be beneath his dignity to take _the help_ with him to the afterlife," Severus said, staring straight ahead. "He didn't want to remember his unfortunate marriage to the _governess_."

Rougier, like my brother, was staring determinedly straight ahead.

"You will proceed with the funeral arrangements, Miss Snape?" Rosethorne asked me, acting as if the other two were not in the room.

I nodded absently. There was too much to think about, especially when my top priority was offing the offending hag next to me.

"I believe we have been too hasty with one important issue," Rougier suddenly said, putting her handkerchief away.

Rosethorne looked confused. "Madam?"

She smiled at him. "The issue of there being a child after Armilla."

Rosethorne's brow furrowed. "I have no record of there being a third child belonging to Aurelius Snape, Madam."

Rougier laughed lightly, the sound offensive to my ears. What was she playing at?

"Of course there is no record," she said, suddenly sounding merry. "As a third child hasn't been born." She patted her abdomen. "As it happens though, I am with child."

I could have killed her, there and then. How dare she be pregnant?

Severus was on his feet. "_With child_?" he repeated. "At _your _age?"

Rougier looked affronted. "I beg your pardon, Severus," she hissed. "It is not for you to say whether or not I am too old to have a child."

"Aren't you in your fifties?" I asked, folding my arms. "You'd be an elderly mother."

"You had an elderly father!" she retorted.

I shrugged. "Not by choice."

"I am sure _you _had a choice," Severus said darkly.

Rougier scowled at him. "Aurelius wanted another child!"

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Are you sure it wasn't you who wanted a child so you could attempt to steal the family's money?"

Her eyes flashed in anger. "How _dare _you!"

I shook my head. "Did Father even _know_ you were pregnant?"

"Of course, he did," she said in a quieter voice, glaring at me.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She looked at Severus and his black eyes bored into her blue ones.

Severus' eyes narrowed. "Liar."

Rougier looked away, her expression arrogant.

Rosethorne attempted to cut in at this point, but Severus spoke over the top of him.

"What I think, Rougier," he said silkily, "is that you and my father discussed the will somewhat and you were privy to some of the technicalities. What you didn't plan on, was Father's lack of adherence to your desire for more money." He smirked. "Your outrage at the amount of money left to you is proof that you did not know the man well."

Rougier, shorter than my brother by several inches, attempted unsuccessfully to look down her nose at him. "I had his devotion, which is more than you can ever hope for, Severus."

He sneered. "How very touching."

Rougier smiled. "Tell me, what did you inherit? Nothing?"

Severus eyes flashed and for a moment I thought he was going to hex her. I was ready to cheer him on by means of my own hex.

"I think it would be best for everyone to calm down," said Rosethorne loudly, "or we shall have to put off this meeting for another day."

"That won't be necessary," I told him. "The smaller amount of time we spend in this woman's presence, the better."

The rest of the meeting lasted another ten minutes and the tense air almost became overwhelming. Rougier wanted to receive more money since she was carrying a child with Snape blood, but after finding the right clause, Rosethorne informed her that I was not in any way obligated to pay her any more money until the birth of the child, which was to take place in August. This, Rougier did not take well, but she accepted it after Rosethorne repeated the clause for the third time, looking rather annoyed.

When we left the office and travelled down to the ground floor of the Ministry, Rougier came with us. It was going to be harder to kill her now because there would be more people to obliviate. As it was, she clearly had something to say before we departed.

"I expect to be informed of the time of the funeral," she said, addressing herself to me. "I am legally allowed to attend, being a family member, and I shall take action-"

"Yes, you will be informed," Severus snapped impatiently. "Now get going, Madam. I tire of your presence."

Rougier glared at him and he merely stared back at her. She suddenly smiled.

"That is no way to speak to your stepmother," she said pleasantly.

I nearly gagged at the thought. I shuddered and I felt Severus' body tense next to me.

"What you are," he said smoothly, "is a money hungry-"

"Severus," she said, looking around, "only common people talk of money like this in public." She looked back at me. "I expect to be hearing from you, very soon, Armilla. We will have many things to discuss before the birth of your brother or sister."

"There will be no acknowledgement," I said, glaring at her. "Don't think I'll consider a child of yours a_ relation_."

She looked unfazed by this. "Either way, the child will be a Snape," she said dismissively, "whether you acknowledge it or not." She looked me up and down. "Let us hope that my genes will have a strong influence over this child. I would hate for my child to have the same, plain looks of the siblings."

Before we had a chance to reply, she nodded, turned on her heel and flooed herself away.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Thanks for reading! Reviews are VERY much appreciated, even if it's a few words. Yes, I know – another AWFULLY long delay. I started this chapter well over a month ago and managed to write a few paragraphs a few times a week. Armilla II will be drawing to a close soon; I anticipate only a few chapters more. There will not be an Armilla III. It is not an issue of no storyline, but an issue of time. When I began the Armilla series a number of years ago, I was at university and life in general was very different to what it is now. Faithful reviewers have stuck with me even though I have been (admittedly) terrible with the updates in the last year or two – and to them I am eternally grateful. My career is very demanding of my time and I often work long hours. Having the time to write (and finding a time when I'm not too tired to write) is so very rare. I feel that even attempting an Armilla III would not be very fair to my readers, as the chapters would not come as frequently as they (or I) would like. That said, I am preparing now to bring everything to a close. I shall be sure to let readers know about what I had planned for Armilla and Severus in Book 7 and beyond.

On a happy note, I simply MUST recommend a story that had my sides hurting from laughter. I do love ridiculous/nonsense stories (as readers of my _Wheel Of Fortune Hogwarts Style_ story know) and this story won a Dobby award for Best Humour Fic on harrypotterfanfiction. It shows a side to Severus Snape that will ensure you never look at him in the same way again! A sequel has also been started.

**The Puzzling Prattlings of a Pulchritudinous Potions Professor**** by JuicyJuice**

**Sequel: Severely Severus**


	29. Love, Greed and Survival

**Chapter 29**

It was the following Friday before the rest of the wizarding world found out that Aurelius Snape was dead. I was surprised that it wasn't leaked from the Ministry sooner. I had sat down to breakfast on Friday morning and it had been no more than two minutes later that the whispers I'd tuned out on my way in finally reached my ears.

"It's Snape's father – look."

"Didn't know the greasy git had a father."

"Of_ course_ he had a father, you idiot. He's dead – there's his picture."

"Creepy looking bloke, wasn't he?"

"Well, that's where Snape got his nose."

"It says he died mysteriously."

"Nah, that's just Ministry talk for not knowing the cause of death."

And so that was the way it was all day on Friday. There was one thing that kept my spirits relatively cheerful all that day. Indeed, every time I thought of it, I couldn't help but smile. I was certain that if my friends had not known of what had happened, they would have thought that I was a little strange by Friday night because I was a little too cheerful for someone who was attending her father's funeral the next day.

It was all to do with Zita Rougier. The previous Saturday, though a terribly trying day, had turned out to have some light at the end of the tunnel. A very satisfying light. After Rougier had flooed away, Severus had turned to me with a knowing smirk on his face. The memory of it made me smile all over again.

"Don't pay her the ten thousand galleons."

I frowned. "But Rosethorne said that-" I stopped as I heard the man's words in my ears. _An annual sum to Mrs Zita Snape for living conditions for the period of five years, of no more than 10,000 Galleons_.

"No more than 10,000 Galleons," I said slowly, realisation dawning. Perhaps it was the tension in the room earlier that had stopped me from paying attention to the technicalities. Why would Father have had it worded that way in his will?

I shook my head, smiling. "I'd make a terrible lawyer."

Severus smiled. "And so would Rougier."

"I'd pay her a Galleon per annum," I said, "but that would be something Rougier would talk to the media about if she wanted all this to be public. I'll have to pay her more. Perhaps no more than 1000 Galleons a year?"

"No more than that," Severus said, nodding. "I daresay she has enough money of her own."

I had needed plenty of happy thoughts that following week. The thought of Rougier being pregnant was enough to make me feel disgusted and Severus readily shared in the appropriate amount of shuddering the mention of it provided. I had also contacted Rosethorne early in the week to confirm a funeral for the following Saturday at Snape Manor, and to stipulate an annual sum for Rougier. I was also sure to have Rosethorne forward the details of the funeral to Rougier.

As it turned out, it was a good thing I always checked my mail for curses and the like before opening it, because, judging from the letter I received on Wednesday, Rougier was not a happy woman. After Severus had managed to cancel whatever unpleasant surprises had been concealed within the parchment, I had met with a very abrupt letter, informing me of the exact level of scum I'd reached and a decline to attend the funeral because, to quote _I could not imagine myself tolerating the miserable presence of you or your ghastly brother for more than two minutes. I am willing to sacrifice saying goodbye to my beloved husband if it means having to pleasure of being without the company of two conniving, paltry and utterly repugnant people who are a disgrace to their father and to the wizarding world. You would have me live as a beggar rather than allow me the loose change of your pockets!_

Truth be told, I was still worried that Rougier had a lot more up her sleeve than the baby. I was worried that she would sell her story to the media and Severus and I weren't the kind of people to retaliate by sharing our own business with the wizarding world.

So it was that thinking about Rougier's lack of inheritance kept my spirits up all throughout the week.

Severus and I went home to the Merrigan Estate on Friday night, and travelled from there to Snape Manor on Saturday morning.

"And here I was hoping never to set foot in this place again," I said, as we reached the front door.

"The day had to come sooner or later," Severus grumbled, glaring up at the narrow windows.

The door unlocked for me without any effort and we stepped into the darkened hall.

"Musty," I said, wrinkling my nose. "Jiffy's kept the place closed up."

"It reminds me of Jiffy's scent, actually," Severus replied, closing the door.

"Speaking of," I said, spotting the wretched house elf himself coming down the stairs.

Jiffy headed straight to me, his wrinkly face expressionless. "Jiffy acknowledges Miss Armilla as his Mistress," he said, bowing so low that his long nose scraped the marble floor. "Jiffy wishes to express his condolences to Mistress for the death of Master Aurelius. Jiffy is very sad and grieves for his noble Master. Master was very good to Jiffy."

"Old bread, carrot peels and a home under the laundry tub," said Severus, sneering down at the elf. "Yes, a fortunate life indeed."

Jiffy's face seemed to become twice as wrinkled as he glowered at my brother. "Jiffy wonders why the traitor is in his Master's home. Master Aurelius was good to his son. Scum!"

Severus had his wand out a split second later, ready to demonstrate more of the animosity the two had shared years before. "I won the last one, elf," Severus spat. "Do you recall?"

"No," I said, placing my hand on Severus' arm. "Don't do this." I looked down at Jiffy. "You acknowledge me as your Mistress?"

"Yes, Mistress," Jiffy said, bowing low.

"Then as your Mistress," I continued, "I require you to also obey any orders that Severus gives you in addition to mine and do so with good grace."

Jiffy suddenly looked as if he had a mouth full of soap. "Yes…Mistress," he said, bowing once more. "Jiffy is…happy to be serving you."

"That will be all then, Jiffy," Severus ordered, walking away across the hall.

Jiffy chewed on the insides of his cheeks as he bowed. He didn't spare me another glance as he turned and headed towards the kitchen.

Sighing, I turned and followed Severus down a hallway off the entrance foyer. It was hard to ignore the whispered comments of the many Snapes in their portraits.

"At last, they're here. I knew they'd come."

"And Severus is here too, I see! Aurelius would not be happy."

"Oh, hush you fool! Severus does more for the name of Snape – more than his father ever did-"

"I didn't ask you, Adeline. I was merely-"

"Just agree to disagree," I suggested dryly, as I passed. I didn't stop to see their faces, but I smiled at their reactions.

"Such impertinence I never saw!"

"I did – Hazel Snape."

"You could never get a moment's peace in these halls," Severus muttered as we reached Father's study door. He tried the handle and did not look at all surprised to find it locked.

"Of course." He took out his wand and began casting silently his eyes fixed on the keyhole. It was a few minutes later that we finally heard the clicking of the lock.

"Not paranoid then?" I asked, as Severus pushed the door open.

"No more than the average man on the run," he replied, heading straight for Father's desk. "Don't touch anything," he said over his shoulder, his wand still in his hand. "There could be any number of curses and security alarms in this room."

I nodded, watching as he began muttering incantations under his breath and he wand traced over the contents of the meticulously neat desk.

"What are you looking for?"

"Anything of use that would be better kept in our hands than those of anyone else," he replied, not looking up. "Old family documents and the like - just in case anyone has managed to gain access to this room - which I sincerely doubt."

"I'm going to go up to my room," I told him. "I'm guessing Father will be in his own bedroom? I don't want to come across him somewhere."

Severus paused. "I am assuming that's where he'll be," he said slowly. "Just wait a moment while I ensure that everything is in order here and then I'll have a look upstairs. I do want to see him."

I waited for fifteen minutes or so while Severus rummaged through parchments around the room. I amused myself by examining photos on the wall that I'd never seen before. There were several of my parents – their wedding day, as well as many others of them at different stages during their marriage. Severus was in several of them too, not looking entirely happy about being in such close vicinity to Father. I was surprised that Father had not removed these photos, considering that he'd written his son out of his will.

"I have finished here," Severus announced finally. "Come, we'll head upstairs."

I followed him upstairs, wondering where exactly Father's bedroom was. _Strange_, I thought, not knowing something like that. I voiced this thought to my brother.

He shook his head. "That's nothing. Think how many years I lived in this house – I've only been in his bedroom _once_."

That wasn't so bad then. I didn't think it wise to ask how Severus came to be in Father's bedroom.

We came to a set of double doors at the end of a long hallway.

"It's your decision if you want to come in," Severus said, glancing back at me as he grasped the door handle.

I nodded.

He opened the door and I followed him in. Though almost dark inside due to most of the curtains being drawn, the sheer size of the room immediately distracted me from looking for the whereabouts of Father. There were lounges and a large table, a huge mantelpiece and several more doors. At one side of the room there was a huge four poster bed with black and green bedding.

Upon the bed lay Father, looking merely asleep, just as Mother had looked all those months ago. He was wearing dark grey and silvery robes, which reminded me of the attire Lucius Malfoy often wore.

"He still irritates me in death," Severus said, staring at Father from his place at the foot of the bed.

I walked over to stand at Severus' side. Though it may have been appropriate to be overwhelmed by emotion at that moment, nothing came.

Severus took out his wand.

"What are you doing?"

"Investigating," he replied, moving to Father's side. "Call it a second opinion."

"Are you looking for something other than dark magic or a certain kind of dark magic?" I asked.

"Anything."

I watched as he waved his wand over Father wordlessly, performing complicated movements that looked a little like he was conducting an orchestra.

"Well?" I asked several minutes later as he pocketed his wand.

"Dark magic," he confirmed, frowning at Father, "but from more than one person I believe. I could detect traces of a weaker curse under a much stronger one."

"Maybe the person cast it twice," I suggested.

He shook his head. "No, it was quite clear that each curse had come from a different person. The magical signature felt quite different."

As I had many times before, I once again marvelled at how Severus was able to pick up on these things.

"Rougier must have been one of them," I said, "otherwise it's far too coincidental. She couldn't have married him just because she _wanted _to and didn't see anything it in for herself."

"She definitely saw some personal gain," Severus agreed. "It is quite possible that Rougier has established darker links than we've previously guessed."

I stared at him. "You mean…she may have sold him out?"

He nodded. "Many Death Eaters have their own secret allies and connections that they use at their own discretion. Dark Lord, of course, is able to read their minds, but he'd be a fool to openly discuss it. Keeping note of alliances allows him to narrow down the culprit when things don't go according to plan."

"What was in this for Rougier aside from the money?"

"That's anyone's guess," he replied. "It may have been just about the money. If these is more, I shall do my very best to draw it out of Rougier the next time I see her."

"Didn't you use Legilimency when we saw her last weekend?"

He nodded. "I was looking for a certain answer at the time, though. Other information didn't come so readily."

I looked down at Father. I wondered how many Death Eaters wondered about the natures of their own deaths.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

"May Jiffy be so bold as to ask if he may be worthy enough to be attending Master Aurelius' funeral?"

"I suppose so," Severus answered, sparing Jiffy a sideways glanced as we stepped out into the garden with Dumbledore, who had decided to join us. "Father needs the numbers."

Jiffy glowered at him, but trotted along behind us all the same.

"Now, now, Severus," Dumbledore said. "It would be prudent to-"

"-If you're about to give me advice about the treatment of an insubordinate house elf," Severus interrupted smoothly, "I assure you, your efforts would be fruitless."

Dumbledore blinked. "Then I have nothing more to say than a rather undignified _Hmph_!"

"Jiffy is not needing help from muggle-loving-"

"Be quiet, Jiffy," I muttered, scowling at the elf behind me. I looked over at Severus. "Doesn't he make you appreciate Docky even more?"

Severus stared straight ahead. "I thank Merlin for the delight that is Docky every day."

We stopped at a small clearing up ahead. The small area already had many tombstones scattered about, most bearing the name Snape.

Upon a small platform, concealed by emerald cloth, was Father, along with a photo of my mother, as requested in his will.

Dumbledore stood back a little, clearly happy to let us conduct the ceremony.

"I am not sure I have the words to perform an appropriate eulogy," Severus said.

"It's a good thing Rougier isn't here," I replied. "I'm sure she'd have plenty to say."

"And nothing of consequence at that."

"Keep it short then." I was fine with giving my father a dignified burial, but I didn't want to linger, trying to call forth nostalgic thoughts that weren't going come.

"I suppose," my brother began solemnly as he stared at the emerald cloth which concealed Father, "there's nothing much more to say to you, except that I hope you are pleasanter in the afterlife than you were here."

"Severus!"

Severus gave me a nonchalant look. "His death hasn't improved my opinion of him, Armilla."

He had a point. I pondered what my parents were doing in the afterlife as Severus took out his wand. I watched as he cast a complicated wand movement, causing the silken bundle to burst into white flames.

"Let us hope then," Dumbledore said, "that he does change for the better in the afterlife."

We watched silently as the flames eventually subsides, leaving a white tombstone behind.

_Aurelius Merula Snape_

_1__st__ February 1930 – 6__th__ February 1997_

"Let's return to the house." Severus turned and began walking away.

"Well, the afterlife is supposed to be a happy sort of place," I said thoughtfully, catching up with him a moment later. "For Father, that would probably mean being somewhere near Mother." I shook my head. "And for Mother, that would mean-"

"-Being as far away as she could be from Father," Severus finished dryly. "So they're doomed to play hide and seek for all eternity."

o o o o o o o o o o o

Dumbledore stayed and dined with us that evening and for once I didn't have to excuse myself soon after the meal before of Order related business. Neither Dumbledore nor my brother brought up any subject even slightly related to the Dark Lord.

That was until the doorbell rang, just as Dumbledore was putting on his travelling cloak, saying his goodbyes.

"Draco!" Severus hissed, when he opened the door. "What are you-"

Dumbledore and I moved closer to the door to see a very wet Draco Malfoy on the doorstep. If seeing a sodden, greyish Malfoy wasn't surprise enough, the greater shock came from seeing the bundle in his arms.

A small, auburn haired girl, about two years old at most I guessed, lay in Malfoy's arms. If I was optimistic, I would have said that she was merely sleeping, but the gash on her forehead, not to mention the dried blood around her mouth, led me to conclude that she was unconscious. Like Malfoy, she was saturated from the rain.

"Who is she?" Severus demanded.

"I don't _know_!" Malfoy sobbed. "Some muggle. They're all the same, aren't they?"

Severus stood back to let him in. "Why are you here?"

"Sa-saw the Prophet," Malfoy said shakily, looking anywhere but at the child he was holding. He looked at the Headmaster and I, but his face didn't seem to acknowledge or even register our presence. "Your father…dead," he went on, "…figured you'd be here…took the chance…doesn't matter anymore. I'm going to die…kill myself before the Dark Lord does." He hiccoughed. "Won't give him the satisfaction."

"Now, now," Dumbledore said, frowning at Malfoy. "Your death won't help us at all."

Malfoy didn't appear to have heard. Instead, he pushed the little girl into Severus' arms. "Here," he said roughly. "She's alive. _You_ serve the Dark Lord. _You're_ his most faithful servant. _You_ finish her off and take her back to him. Just tell him you found me with her and I had already killed myself…so you decided to have fun with her. I don't want any part of it. I don't want any part of this life."

Severus, who was holding the child away from his body, a repulsed expression on his face, shook his head at Malfoy. "I don't make a habit of killing little muggle girls for fun, Draco."

"Unless absolutely necessary," Malfoy replied. He shook his head. "You can't send her back to her family…the Dark Lord killed the rest of them. She's the only one left. I've had to _torture_ her…I have to ki-kill her...prove that I can do it…and I won't!" He suddenly had a maniacal expression on his face. "I _won't_!" he yelled. "I don't like muggleborns, but I don't have to kill them to prove it!"

"Muggleborn?" Dumbledore repeated, his eyes fixed on Malfoy's. "I thought you said this child is a muggle."

"Muggle, muggleborn, who cares?" Malfoy snapped.

"What sign did she give you that she was muggleborn?" Severus pressed.

Malfoy suddenly pulled opened his wand hand and revealed a large burn that went from two of his fingers all the way down his forearm. "She burnt me," He said, disdainfully. "That's when I stopped."

"Severus," Dumbledore said, authority in his voice, "take the child upstairs and do what you can for her. I shall tend to young Mr Malfoy." Before Severus could say anything, the Headmaster turned to me. "Armilla, go with him and provide assistance." He held his hand out suddenly and Malfoy's wand flew from within his robes and landed in Dumbledore's hand.

Malfoy opened his mouth, looking outraged, but the Headmaster held up a hand to stop him.

"I wish to have a chat first, Draco, without any sudden surprises, I'm sure you understand." He gave Malfoy a meaningful look. "At the end of it, if you still wish to end your life, we'll discuss putting the wand back in your possession." He turned to me. "May we make use of one of your sitting rooms, Armilla?"

I nodded, feeling uncomfortable that my permission would be asked over my brother's. There was no time for that sort of worry though; there were more important things at hand to be tended to.

Severus and I moved quickly up the stairs. I wanted to tell him not to hold the child at arm's length like she was a dangerous specimen, but I figured my advice at that moment wouldn't be well received.

We went into the bedroom closest to the stairs. Severus put the child down on the bed, took out his wand and immediately began casting diagnostic charms.

Malfoy must have been outside somewhere with her, perhaps the family's backyard. She was dirty and her clothes were torn in several places.

"No damaging internal injuries, other than a knock to the head," said Severus a moment later. "Just shock and bruises."

"He didn't torture her badly then?"

He shook his head. "Draco didn't use an Unforgivable, if that's what you mean. He's used some mild hexes, just enough to terrify a two year old." He stared down at the child, his expression unreadable. "I daresay his heart wasn't in it."

"So he has been held by the Dark Lord all this time?"

He gave a stiff nod. "I believe the Dark Lord is aware that Draco had his doubts. Draco believes in maintaining pure bloodlines, but he hasn't got torture and murder in him. This whole fiasco is more than likely a ploy to scare Lucius and Narcissa."

I suppressed a shudder as Severus summoned some healing potions and cloths. "She'll need a pain reliever for that, I expect," he said, examining the wound on the child's forehead. "She's hit something sharp."

I watched as he applied a healing potion to the girl's forehead and covered the wound with waterproof dressing. "I trust you can bath her?" he asked me, sealing his bottle of healing potion.

I nodded, beginning to take off her dirty shoes and tights. Severus summoned Jiffy and the elf appeared a moment later, looked most ill tempered.

"Muggle filth in my Master's house," he muttered, glaring at the little girl.

"Mistress, actually," I told him, giving him a scornful look. "Don't speak like that about her again."

"Run a bath, Jiffy," Severus ordered, "and then wash and mend the child's clothes. You are not to do anything that may harm the child in any way."

Jiffy jerked his head in a reluctant bow, before disappearing into the bathroom.

"I am going to join the Headmaster and Draco," Severus said, as I took the last of the child's clothes off. Her body had a number of new bruises. Severus handed me a bottle of salve. "Rub this into the bruises when she is clean," he instructed. "I will come back and help you if you need it."

I nodded, looking down at the girl. "Will Professor Dumbledore try to find muggle relatives for her if she's muggleborn?"

Severus nodded. "I believe so. We shall see what the Headmaster has decided to do. Chances are she'll be placed with relatives under a protection spell from the Dark Lord."

Thirty minutes later I sat back in the bedroom, watching the child on the bed. Jiffy had brought back her clothes, looking much cleaner.

I thought of going downstairs, but I didn't really want to take the child anywhere near Malfoy. It made me feel sick to think that this child had been hurt by Malfoy. Her family was dead because of the Dark Lord. They all had names, they'd all had a history, they'd made a family…and now this child was all that remained. I shook my head, feeling my stomach churn. This was apparently the life that the Dark Lord planned if he was to win the war.

I sat with the child for another half hour, just watching her, wondering when she would wake. Severus came in just as it was getting dark, looking more stressed than before he'd left. He sat down on the other side of the child and began casting diagnostic charms again.

"She's fine," he said, nodding to himself as he put his wand away. "She'll wake when she's ready."

"Malfoy?" I asked.

"Is to be placed in hiding," he said flatly, closing his eyes as he rubbed his temples. "I gave him Veritaserum and his main concern is his mother and father. His view of muggleborns and muggles remains questionable, but he in no way supports the Dark Lord any longer."

"Does he know that you don't either?"

He shook his head. "No, he remains nervous of me, probably convinced that I will inform the Dark Lord the first chance I get. The Headmaster received some information from him as to the Dark Lord's latest activities and was satisfied. He's placing Draco in hiding, under strong security for the sake of the Light and the Dark. He won't have trust from either." He nodded down at the child. "He can't return to the Dark Lord without bringing this child with him it would seem."

I cringed. "I would rather her life be spared than have her used as a means for Malfoy to take on a role like yours."

Severus nodded. "In all honesty, I do not believe Malfoy would be capable of carrying out the duties of a Double Agent. He feels too deeply and lets the world know it." He looked down at the girl again. "As for the child, as soon as the Headmaster finishes dealing with Draco, he will look into finding relatives of the child and will modify her memory."

He stood up and strode to the door. "Dumbledore is waiting for us downstairs. Bring the child with you."

"Take her back downstairs?" I repeated. "Near _Malfoy_?"

"Headmaster's instructions, Armilla," Severus answered, disappearing into the corridor.

I shook my head, picking the little girl up. Something didn't feel right.

I caught up with Severus in the corridor and followed him down the stairs. The child didn't stir.

"You've gone mad," I heard Malfoy say scathingly, as we entered the sitting room. He and Dumbledore were sitting in opposite each other; the Headmaster had his back to us, but our clear view of Malfoy revealed an ashen face.

They both looked at us as we entered, each with a different reaction; Dumbledore had what could only be described as a shrewd expression on his face as his eyes rested on the girl, while Malfoy looked almost scared of her.

"It's the ultimate test, Draco," Dumbledore said smoothly, turning back to face him. "You clearly don't want to kill this child. It seems she's a muggle born…we'll just have to wait for proof. You know what love is; otherwise you would not feel as forlorn about your parents as you do. It is quite possible that this girl has no other family."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at Dumbledore, but his usual sneer wasn't in place.

"Just think, Draco," the Headmaster went on, "it is quite possible that you will see your parents again and have their love bestowed on you, as you are used to. Sadly though, this child will never know love from her parents again. That was forcibly taken from her. An innocent child, Draco."

"I'm sure there are plenty of muggles available to take her in," Malfoy said, his voice shaking slightly. "They're pretty docile about kids, aren't they? I'm sure leaving…_her_ on a doorstep somewhere wouldn't bother them."

"And if the same thing happened to _you_, Draco?" Dumbledore enquired. "If we decided all wizarding families were just the same and _you_ had been left on a doorstep with _some _family?"

"It's a bit late to give me an ethics lesson, don't you think, Dumbledore?" Malfoy said tersely. "If I am to go into hiding, it would be ridiculous to take the muggleborn with me."

_What?_ I looked over in horror at Severus, but he shook his head slightly. He walked towards the sofa and I followed, biting very hard on my tongue in an effort not to loudly protest at what I had just heard.

"Call me conniving if you will," Dumbledore went on, leaning forward, "but if you desire my assurance that your mother will be protected, then you must make yourself useful in return." He leaned back again. "And this, Draco, will turn out to be as important to you as it presently is to me."

o o o o o o o o o o

A/N If you're wondering about the non-canon Draco subplot, it was a necessary tie-in to cover my version of his fate, seeing that the later events of Book 6 won't be carried out in quite the same way. More on Draco's story to come.

This has been the hardest chapter in ages to write – I managed about a page or two per week since I finished the last chapter, so this has been a long time coming. Hope you all enjoyed it. Please leave a review!


	30. Puppets

**Chapter 30**

"Until tomorrow then," Dumbledore said, nodding at each of us as he went out on the front porch.

"Yes," Severus said quietly, his eyes on the small, slumbering child still in my arms.

Malfoy walked by me without comment, his eyes fixed determinedly on the floor. When he reached the doorway, he turned and looked at my brother.

"I…er…was sorry to hear about your father, Professor."

Severus didn't say a word; he just nodded curtly.

Malfoy hesitated.

Severus' eyes narrowed. "What do you have to say, Draco?"

"I…don't know how he died, Professor…your father, that is, but I, the Dark Lord…"

"Yes?" said Severus sharply.

"The Dark Lord was annoyed about it."

"And who informed him?"

Malfoy shook his head. "I don't know, sir."

Severus stared at him for a moment and then inclined his head. "Thank you, Draco."

Malfoy nodded before turning and following Dumbledore out into the night.

I turned away as Severus closed the front door after them.

"Dumbledore's _mad_," I said heatedly, all but stomping down the hall and up the stairs.

"Then you share the view of most of the wizarding world," my brother replied dryly, following me. "It's a difficult situation, Armilla."

"_Difficult_?" I repeated. "I would have more trust in the Giant Squid to care for her than _Draco Malfoy_."

"That may be so, but it is not for us to say. The Headmaster has ordered that the boy go into hiding and take the child with him. You heard him say that he'd return for her and then perhaps, we may be privy to more information."

I scowled as I reached the top of the stairs and turned to wait for him. "All we know is that she may be muggleborn. What's so special about that, that it means she must go into hiding with Malfoy?"

Severus shook his head as he reached me. "Dumbledore has his reasons…he always does, though I cannot say that they are always rational. He may not let us in on this at all, though after asking me to be the Secret Keeper for Draco, I hope he does."

I shook my head, looking down at the small girl I was carrying.

"So we seem to have become childminders in the meantime," Severus said gruffly, walking down the hall.

I sighed, following him to my bedroom. I didn't like any of this; Malfoy showing up at my father's house with an injured child, whose family had just been slaughtered, claiming that he wanted to end his life, Dumbledore seeking to hide him to cater for his own mysterious agenda. No, I didn't like this at _all_.

"How does Dumbledore even know who she is?" I asked, as we entered my bedroom once more.

Severus gave me an annoyed look. "Armilla, I have made it quite clear that I do not have the answers."

I was silent, not quite ready to get over my indignant brooding.

"I think it best that the child stay in your room with you," Severus said, taking out his wand. He picked up a wooden ornament off the mantelpiece and transfigured it into a cot. Well, an attempt at a cot.

"Severus," I said slowly, "it looks like a cell."

The dark wood wasn't inviting to start with, but the whole bed seemed to have a menacing presence. Its bars were thick and set closely together, and the bedding was a rough, scratchy material.

"I cannot claim to be experienced in this area," came my brother's snide reply. "Improve it if you must."

"Here," I said, handing him the child. Severus' expression became a little uneasy as he looked down at the sleeping child. He looked about as comfortable as a bowtruckle in the direct path of an oncoming bludger. I took out my own wand and attempted to improve on his work. When I had finished, the bed looked a little more hospitable for a two year old.

"Bravo," said Severus dryly, as he placed the girl on the soft, blue sheets. I pulled the blue coverlet over the top of her.

"It doesn't seem as if she's going to wake any time soon," I said quietly, as both watched the girl sleep.

Severus grimaced. "Having her sleep is preferable to dealing with a child who will wake up to find herself in a foreign environment and without her mother nearby."

I pushed back at the sudden anger that washed over me. This wasn't the first child to suffer at the Dark Lord's hands and I very much doubted that she'd be the last…but standing there, watching her sleep, knowing that her family had been tortured and killed that very night was too much to bear.

o o o o o o o o o o o

I woke to the sound of high-pitched crying and loud hooting. At first I thought I must have been dreaming it, until it dawned on me that there was another occupant in the room besides Morag and myself.

I sat up in bed and glanced through the darkened room towards the crib. I could make out the figure of the child standing at one end of it, her hands rubbing her head.

I got out of bed and cast _Lumos_ with my wand.

The crying stopped abruptly. As I moved towards the girl, her eyes weren't fixed on me, but on my wand, or rather, the light coming from my wand.

"Damn," I said quietly. Should I have used magic in front of a child who had supposedly not seen magic before. Wasn't she too little to understand it anyway?

"Damn," the child repeated, pointing towards my wand. She kept her other hand on her head, which was probably still sore.

"Not that I'm an expert, but I do believe it's a bit early to be teaching her bad language, Armilla," came a voice from the doorway.

I glanced over at Severus before returning my gaze to the child. "I thought perhaps that I shouldn't have cast _Lumos_," I said quietly, watching the child strain to reach for my wand.

"It doesn't matter when it's a child this small," Severus replied, coming over to join me. I noticed now that he was wearing his dressing gown and was looking very dishevelled, not to mention unshaven.

"What time is it?"

"Just after four," he answered. "I am sure even Jiffy was awoken by-"

The child suddenly let out a cry as she rubbed her head again. The volume of the howling seemed to rattle the room. It got especially louder when she started screaming for her mother.

"How can one so small omit a sound so ear-splitting?" Severus wondered out loud. He turned and headed for the door. "I shall go and find the pain relieving potion I brewed last night."

"Can't you just summon it?" I called over the loud cries.

"No," he called. He turned in the doorway. "I really don't _mind_ the walk the walk to the lab."

I shook my head, turning back to the girl. She seemed caught between fussing over the pain she had, calling for her mother and reaching for my wand.

"Wait." I thought for a moment, recalling some charms I had learnt the other evening in one of my Charms books. I waved my wand and conjured up some tiny twinkling, dancing lights, the size of marbles.

The girl stopped her cries and watched them, her mouth wide open. After a moment she giggled and reached out for them.

The lights were still entertaining her when Severus came back holding a small cup. He sneered when he saw the twinkling lights.

"Having fun?"

"What would_ you_ do?"

He didn't answer; he looked down at the girl, who had stopped reaching for the lights to look at him instead. She was looking at him in the utmost wonder.

"I am not that intriguing, I assure you," he told her gruffly, holding out the cup.

She looked at it, then back at him. "Mum," she said, looking away.

"I don't have time for this," Severus grumbled. He took hold of the girl's arm and showed her the cup once more, this time coaxing her into holding it. "Drink it," he ordered, holding his hand nearby, as if half expecting her to throw it.

The girl seemed far too occupied with the twinkling lights, so I cancelled the charm.

"Oh," she said softly, looking disappointed as she looked around.

"They'll come back if you drink it," I said to her.

"Yes, of _course,_" Severus scoffed.

She looked down at the cup, letting out a small whimper.

"Go on," I pressed.

After a moment, she raised the cup to her lips and drank the whole potion.

"More," she said, looking up at Severus.

He frowned. "I have _never_ been asked for more."

"It was a child's potion, wasn't it?" I asked. I remembered from my childhood that the milder _LittleWizard_ and _LittleWitch_ potions were far sweeter.

"Yes," he answered, taking the cup. He stared down at the child. "I don't suppose you could tell us your name?"

She stared back at him.

"Mum," she whimpered, looking away. She pointed to where the lights had been dancing.

"What is your name?" I asked her.

She looked back at me, still pointing towards the ceiling and I repeated my question.

"Leedah," she said after a moment.

"That is not a name," Severus told her. "Not a sensible one at any rate."

'Leedah' didn't seem to care. She smiled at me at pointed above her, clearly wanting more lights, which I finally obliged her with.

"Do you think she remembers what happened?" I asked my brother, as we watched her jump for the lights. I had though she would wake far more distressed than she was.

"I am not sure," Severus answered. "I am refraining from delving into her thoughts to find out. If she is happy enough now, I don't wish to have her relive what would have to be horrific memories."

Severus left to go and shower and dress and 'Leedah' continued to be entertained by the lights for another twenty minutes. At was at this point that she started howling again, calling for her mother. This time, no amount of magical lights would entertain her.

Finally, feeling terribly underqualified for the task, I lifted her from the cot and tried to soothe her in the best I could. I really had no idea what I was doing. I needed Merle for this sort of thing. She would have known what to do. Did it come with being a mother or was this ability something that some females naturally had within them? I contemplated this in distress as I struggled to comfort the crying child.

I eventually resorted to slowly pacing the room and patting her behind in the way I had once seen Matilda do with a baby, a relative she's been looking after. I'd thought 'Leedah' might have been too old, but this tactic seemed to work.

Severus came in again, fully dressed, just as the child had calmed enough for me to stop pacing. I sat on my bed with her, looking at her tiredly. I shook my head. How was it that I'd come to Snape Manor for my father's funeral and had ended up trying to comfort a two year old before the sun was even up?

"I don't know who looks more worn out," Severus commented as he stopped by the foot of the bed, clearly keeping his distance.

"It's almost your turn," I replied evenly.

He raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"To take her, of course." I did feel terribly sorry for the child, but I couldn't see why Severus could not help too.

We both looked down when we heard a soft whimper. The child's mouth was moving slowly, unintelligible mumbles escaping her lips.

"You'll be fine," Severus said, looking away.

I gave him a cross look. "_I_ have to look after her?"

"You're the better option. It's only until Dumbledore comes to take her away."

I shook my head. "No. You're just as responsible for her, if not more so."

He gave me a calculating look. "Why?"

I stared back at him. "You're the adult here."

He scowled. "I don't know anything about small children."

"You think _I_ do?"

He shook his head. "Armilla, I barely knew what to do with _you_. It's in the child's best interest for you to care for her."

"No, we're sharing it," I replied.

His scowl deepened. "On your head, be it," he grumbled.

She looked around again, before mumbling something incoherent. I knew the time would come where she would barely remember her mother and family, if at all. I wondered if she was better off having some memory, or none at all, like me when I lost my mother.

"I'm not sure Professor Dumbledore's doing the right thing," I said suddenly. "How can Malfoy take care of her?"

"Perhaps in Dumbledore's happy families mind, Draco will be won over by the affections of a small child and will see the Light, change his views entirely and become a model figure of the wizarding world."

"What do you think will happen?"

"He won't harm the child," Severus replied. "He loves his own family too much to risk it."

We were silent. The only movement came from 'Leedah', who had discovered my hair and was amusing herself by pulling on it.

Severus suddenly grimaced. "Something smells."

I already knew what it was. "She needs changing."

He took a step back, "Well, I'll leave you to it then." He made to turn around, but I got up.

"No way, I did the last one." Actually, I had just redressed her after the bath, but it _still_ counted.

Severus looked indifferent to that. "Congratulations. That means you're experienced enough to do the next one."

"It's _your_ turn."

He sneered. "Don't be childish."

"I'm not. Why do _I_ have to do it?"

He frowned at me. "Why? Because you're…" He stopped short, suddenly at a loss for words.

I folded my arms. "Because I'm a _girl_?"

"No," he said, abruptly, glaring at the whimpering child. He sighed. "Fine." He strode over to me, reaching out for the girl. "Come here, child."

The girl's whimpers immediately turned to wails when Severus took her. He held her under the armpits and away from his body. He gave me a furious look. "You see?" he said, raising his voice to be heard over the girl's wailings. "She'd much rather have _you_ change her."

"Maybe if you didn't hold her like that," I suggested, making no move to take her from him.

"Like what?" he asked impatiently.

"Like you are going to _catch_ something from her if you hold her any closer," I snapped. "Here." I moved forward and took the girl for a moment before pushing her into his chest, the same way as he'd held her when she'd been sleeping. Severus closed his arms around her, looking positively mortified at the closeness of the child. 'Leedah', who had ceased her crying, looked more startled than anything else as she looked up at my brother's face.

I stood back, shaking my head. "You can hug_ me_," I pointed out.

"You don't have sticky fingers that have been in your mouth," he retorted.

"Sticky," 'Leedah' repeated, looking at her fingers.

"She listens," I added.

Severus gave me a dark look. "Be thankful that I didn't have _you_ at this age."

"Oh, I'd be such a well rounded person," I said.

He scowled, as 'Leedah' shifted uncomfortably in my brother's arms. She looked up at him, her teary brown eyes wide. "Potty," she said, before sticking a finger in her mouth.

Severus looked up at the ceiling in annoyance. "_Damn_ the Dark Lord."

"_Damn_," 'Leedah' repeated.

o o o o o o o o o o

"I do hope you have information to share, Headmaster," Severus said, as we sat in the sitting room the following morning.

After having something to eat, 'Leedah' had played for many hours in my bedroom. She had stopped frequently to ask for her mother and father, but I was able to distract her each time. She finally went to sleep again at around 9:00am.

I had left her there when Dumbledore had said I was welcome to join in the conversation. Severus has looked unsure about this, but had said nothing. I was just as confused; I generally wasn't allowed to be around for Order business meetings.

"I do, Severus," Dumbledore replied, "and I was more than satisfied with my findings." He looked at me. "The child we just left in your bedroom is who I suspected her to be."

"And who is that?" Severus asked.

Dumbledore smiled. "A Riddle."

"Headmaster, it's not the time for games," Severus said tersely.

"Riddle," Dumbledore repeated. "Miss Lydia Riddle."

"_Riddle_?" Severus and I said in unison. We had a _Riddle_ in the house?

"I am sure you have quite an explanation for this?" Severus said, looking stonily at Dumbledore.

"I do not believe the child to be in any danger," Dumbledore said. "I do not believe Tom Riddle knows of her value…or else he would have made it his mission by now to put an end to her existence."

"I take it that she is a _related_ Riddle?" Severus asked, as he passed a cup of tea to the Headmaster.

Dumbledore nodded as he took the cup. He waved his wand and a little family tree formed in the air above us. "Lydia's great grandfather, John Joseph Riddle was the elder brother of Voldemort's father, also named Tom Riddle – they are definitely blood relatives."

"If there was a killing at the house of this particular Riddle family," said Severus, watching as the family tree faded away before handing me a cup, "then the Dark Lord must have had some inkling that they were relatives."

"Oh perhaps," Dumbledore admitted, waving a hand aside as if it were a trivial matter. "Young Draco knew last night that the child was a Riddle – he just wasn't about to tell you so. I managed to obtain this information from him later in the evening. It would seem that this is not the first Riddle family that has suffered in the last few months. For fun, it would seem, Tom has been intent on gradually destroying every family in the land that bears the unfortunate name of Riddle."

I shuddered. How very twisted.

Severus was looking sceptical. "And why is this child in particular important, Headmaster?"

"This is the most important piece of information to give you," Dumbledore answered, suddenly looking very grave. He moved his sleeve suddenly so that we caught sight of his blackened hand. "I do not have the gift of time on my side," he said quietly, looking at each of us. "I will also inform selected Order members of the girl's existence, as well as the two of you. There is a prophecy…"

Colour seemed to drain from Severus' already pale face. "A prophecy?" he said quietly.

Dumbledore nodded. "Sybil Trelawney very recently made this prophecy…two weeks ago in fact. She's…ah…been on the cooking sherry lately and I confess I have not being setting much by what she says, but this was quite different." He waved his wand once again and words seemed to float out from the tip of his wand.

_Out of the darkness, a child shall live,_

_A child of pure heart, sharing the blood of the Dark Lord,_

_The blood which he abhors_

_Her power shall be great and her Light has the means of neutralising his Dark,_

_And her marked protector will be her guidance and light_

_A task reluctantly undertaken,_

_A witness to her suffering and loss; a new traitor to the Dark Lord_

_The time shall come when her value may be seen_

_And her protector's gratitude will be eternal_

"Draco Malfoy." Severus shook his head slightly. "Guidance and light indeed."

"It is amazing where one finds strength and purpose in times like these, Severus," said Dumbledore, giving him a meaningful look. "I have come to believe over the years that the very existence of trials is to test and form who we are."

Severus inclined his head. "Thank you for your counsel, Headmaster." His voice was laced with sarcasm.

Dumbledore merely smiled. "Oh, don't get on your high horse, Severus. I was not lecturing you; simply an old man reflecting."

"You are willing to place all trust in this prophecy then?" Severus asked, ignoring him. "Place this…Lydia Riddle with Draco and hope that it will not be detrimental for her."

Dumbledore cocked his head. "But this is touching, Severus. Has little Lydia warmed your heart already?"

Severus glowered at him. "I was referring," he said through clenched teeth, "to the level of care a sixteen year old boy could provide for a two year old child who has been robbed of her family. You are willing to sacrifice the level of care she requires in order to satisfy the faith you have in a prophecy…made by a drunken Seer?"

Dumbledore was silent for a moment. "I have every faith in the prophecy, Severus. I would not be going ahead with this plan if I had not. I do not flatter myself that every plan I have ever carried out has been successful, but on the whole, I do genuinely feel that this is the right course with which to proceed."

Severus didn't look convinced. "That is my point, Headmaster. You have every faith in the _prophecy_. What faith do you have in the child rearing abilities of Draco Malfoy? I cannot help but feel that this child is to be a pawn in your plans."

Dumbledore didn't smile. "I must do what is best for the situation. I shall see to it that Lydia will want for nothing during her time with Draco."

"Want for nothing?" Severus repeated. "This is not the first child you have place into the care of someone unworthy."

Dumbledore frowned. "Severus, it is not for you to-"

"Yes," Severus said shortly. "It is not my place. You have said so once before." He sighed before moving the conversation back to the task at hand. "Excuse my insensitivity, Headmaster, but we both know…you just stated that time is not on your side."

Dumbledore nodded. "And you are the Secret Keeper, Severus." He glanced at me briefly before looking back at Severus. "I do not see a reason why you…or eventually Armilla cannot occasionally provide assistance to them…when I am no longer able to."

Eventually Armilla? I understood that Dumbledore did not expect to live a great deal longer, but what was he implying now? That Severus would be too busy or that _he_ would not be here either to do it?

When Severus spoke, it was with forced calm. "Let me see if I have things right, Dumbledore. Draco Malfoy showed up at this house last night with a child sharing the muggle blood of the Dark Lord, threatening to kill himself. We took the child in so that you could have time to hide Draco and investigate the child's background. Their shared value to you comes down to a prophecy. Now you inform us that Draco and the child is to be visited by myself or Armilla after your death. Is this a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time or had you been planning this all along?"

Dumbledore's twinkle seemed to have gone. "We must all do what we can." He raised an eyebrow. "You understand that, of course?"

Severus stared stonily back. "You needn't ask that, Headmaster. One would have thought you'd have sufficient proof of my service to you by now."

Dumbledore looked momentarily abashed. "I'd never doubt it, Severus. You know that-"

"Then I would ask," Severus interrupted, "the small favour of leaving Armilla out of this. You have no right to ask her to play a role in this."

I shifted uncomfortably. My mind was torn. Technically, I had the right to sit back in this war and watch what transpired…but I was a witch of Wizarding Britain…didn't that mean I owed it to my community to do what I could, however small the part? It had nothing to do with the fact that my brother was a Double Agent and risked his life greatly every time he responded to a summons from the Dark Lord. If Merle had been alive, would I have felt a sense of obligation to the wizarding community? Merle had been a member of the Order after all. I was quite certain though, that she would have felt just as strongly as Severus did now about my becoming involved in one of Dumbledore's plans.

"I suppose I don't," Dumbledore replied, inclining his head. He looked at me. "Armilla will be seventeen before the school year is out. As the young woman Armilla is, Severus, I am sure she will do what she can to provide service."

I frowned. Dumbledore didn't seem to pride himself on subtlety. Hm, well he_ was_ a Gryffindor through and through.

"Armilla will _not_ be manipulated, Headmaster," Severus said darkly, his lip curling. "I will not allow it."

Dumbledore met his gaze. "I did not come here for an argument, Severus. I have let you in on more information than was necessary-"

"And I am most exceedingly obliged," Severus drawled.

"And all I ask is that you do what you have agreed to," Dumbledore said, his voice a little louder, "what you _owe_."

There was silence.

"Armilla," my brother said a moment later. "Have you finished your tea?"

I looked down at my untouched cup. Before I could answer, he glanced at my cup and looked away again. "Take it upstairs, please."

I didn't move. I looked from Dumbledore to my brother.

Dumbledore frowned. "Severus."

"_Now_, Armilla."

I rose silently, not wanting to bear Severus' wrath later if I didn't obey, and left the room. Dumbledore and my brother remained silent until I had left. In fact, I was on the stairs before I could hear their muffled voices.

o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Yes, I'm still here! I took advantage of some time to myself to get this chapter completed, after being in the works for several months. It was probably worth reading back to understand most of this chapter. I hope it was enjoyed. This chapter ended up becoming two because the second half didn't seem to belong in the same chapter. I will continue working on the second half and have it to you next week. Comments are appreciated! Coral Grace.


	31. Which Chess Pieces are Slytherin?

**Chapter 31**

I didn't know how much faith to put into this prophecy. I mean, it was _Draco Malfoy_ we were talking of here. To me, it sounded a little too convenient, like Dumbledore had been waiting for this to happen.

Dumbledore. The Head of The Order of the Phoenix. Sometimes I thought this whole war was one big chess game to the headmaster. So many strategies and people to utilise, some willingly and some through coercion.

I wondered how often other members challenged him. How could he place a two-year-old child, a suspected muggle-born, with Draco Malfoy, all because of a prophecy? Did he really think that Malfoy would suddenly forget what he had been brought up to believe and actually warm to the child? It didn't seem plausible that the headmaster had such idealistic tendencies that he had no doubt of Malfoy's heart being melting for a little girl. It didn't seem right to think of Dumbledore being that incredibly naïve. No, perhaps this all just slotted conveniently into place for the headmaster, simply because he needed it to. How likely was it anyway that the prophecy would come true?

This was all extremely vexing. Why didn't it seem right to doubt Dumbledore? Weren't all leaders to be doubted at times? They're only human, after all. The wizarding world did have many members who publicly called Dumbledore an old fool, but to most, he still rested comfortably on the pedestal our minds saw him on.

Dumbledore had made mistakes before, surely? I just couldn't help thinking that Lydia Riddle's placement with Draco Malfoy was going to be the ultimate blunder. It just wasn't going to end well. I didn't doubt that Trelawney had made another prophecy, but was it right to set so much store by it?

It seemed that Severus had done nothing but fume since Dumbledore's departure with Lydia on that Sunday afternoon. When we had sat down to lunch, I had decided to save my questions for another time, as he seemed to be employing the entirety of his self control not to shred the baked potatoes.

We were due back at Hogwarts that night, as we both had classes first thing in the morning. To be honest, I was looking forward to being back at school. Though it was now my property, Snape Manor held none of the warmth of the Merrigan Estate. Just walking down the dark corridors alone at night was spine-chilling enough. Having come there to bury my father was more than enough for any weekend. Draco Malfoy's appearance had topped things off.

We went to Diagon Alley late Sunday afternoon, at Severus' request. He had some business to carry out with a potions supplier, and also wanted to pick up a copy of a book that had been released a couple of days earlier.

As we walked to the point where we could disapparate, Severus brought up the topic that I was purposely avoiding.

"It's alright," he said, pulling his cloak tightly around himself, fending off the chilly breeze, "we _can_ talk about Malfoy and Lydia."

"I had the impression we couldn't," I replied. "We don't have to, you know. It's already an aggravating topic." I felt furious just thinking of where Lydia must be at that moment.

Severus sighed. "I sent you upstairs earlier, as I had to bring up some business with the headmaster in an effort to prove my point that he wasn't addressing the situation in the most rational way."

"Death Eater business or Order business?"

"They are one and the same where my role is concerned."

"True."

"Clearly, it was a fruitless attempt anyway."

"Why did you bother? Doesn't Professor Dumbledore always follow his own instincts regardless to what anyone else thinks?"

"Generally," he said grimly. He looked over at me. "You don't normally express such strong views about Dumbledore."

"I don't think he's making the right decision," I said honestly. "How can any of this be in the best interests of Lydia?"

Severus didn't answer at first. "Dumbledore assures us that she will be well looked after, even if it is by Draco. There's reverse psychology involved here."

"How so?"

"Dumbledore will probably tell Draco of the prophecy. He knows of their importance. Draco will change his priorities if his _gratitude is to be eternal_, as the prophecy says."

"He can do so, so easily?"

"Draco will do what it takes to ensure the survival of his family. If it means caring for a Riddle, so be it. He won't change his views of the child, I assure you. She will be a pawn in his plan to achieve his goal, the same way we are all pawns in the big scheme of things."

"And what will become of Lydia after the war is over…if the war is ever over? It's not like people will willingly take a Riddle into their homes." I sighed. "I suppose it goes back to the nature versus nurture scenario."

"There is sense in that theory."

"Lets hope that Lydia has some good traits in her then," I said grimly. "I just cannot see Draco Malfoy doing anything more than ensuring she survives…or enough so that Dumbledore is satisfied."

"I agree."

"And what if this war goes on for years?" I said, feeling impatient. "Does he think Malfoy will never tire of the responsibility?"

"I sincerely hope not," Severus answered. "In any case, I can see this becoming my problem in the foreseeable future. As the Secret Keeper, I shall have to ensure the safety of both…according to the headmaster."

"And what of my role?" I asked.

He stopped and turned to look at me. "What of it?"

"Dumbledore was talking of my involvement." We all had a part to play in this war.

Severus gazed at me, his expression hard to read. "You're seventeen in four months, Armilla," he said quietly. "You will no longer be a child in the eyes of the Ministry. You will be free to make your own choices."

I stared at him. I hadn't quite expected that answer. I smiled when Severus added the comment I expected.

"That even means that if you wish to take on a role in the war…you can." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Not that I would influence you-"

He paused to glare at me when I gave him an incredulous look.

He cleared his throat. "Not that I would influence you in regards to this. Like I said, the choice is yours." He gave me a bleak look. "But I don't have to like that fact."

"You didn't seem to like the idea when Professor Dumbledore brought it up," I commented, as we began walking again.

"I didn't like the _way_ in which the headmaster brought it up," Severus said. "He has a way of making people feel that they owe it to the wizarding world to put their life in danger. There are some of us who have very real reasons for doing so and there are others who are there without wanting to be. I thought that he was manipulating you."

"And what is your opinion my involvement?"

"What you would expect it to be, I am sure."

I nodded, but said no more, as we had reached the apparition point.

Diagon Alley remained the ghost town it had been upon our last visit. More shops had closed down, many of which had had their windows smashed. _Weasleys Wizards Wheezes_ remained a colourful eye sore, but a welcome one at that.

"No, we cannot go in there," Severus said, as he followed my line of sight.

"I wasn't even going to suggest such a thing." Last time, the Weasley twins had seen us pass and George had sent along new samples anyway.

We went into the apothecary and were back outside within five minutes. Severus knew how to conduct business swiftly.

As we approached number ninety-three, I saw the back of a Weasley twin through the window, talking to a customer. As the customer moved further into the store, the Weasley turned around towards the door. As far as I could tell, it was George. There was always something more less impish on George's face than Fred's that made me recognise him. As we passed, George noticed us and grinned. Severus, who was looking up ahead at another shop, hadn't noticed. I gave a slight nod back.

"That shop is new," Severus said, nodding in the direction of the group of shops further up. "At least, it seems new, but then, I haven't been to Diagon Alley in a while."

As we came closer, I was able to make out the sign. "_Hewitts Books_," I read. Hewitts…Hewitts…why was that familiar?

"A bookshop?" Severus said. "_Flourish and Blotts_ won't like that. I wouldn't mind looking inside."

As we came closer, I saw a man behind the counter in the shop and recognised him immediately.

"No," I said quickly, grabbing my brother's arm. "We can't go in there."

Severus looked surprised. "Why on earth not?"

"Because…" It was Alonzo Hewitt's bookstore. I hadn't liked Arian Bletchley's cousin when I'd met him at Slughorn's Christmas party.

"Armilla?" Severus was giving me a strange look.

"It's not fair to _Flourish and Blotts_. They're having a hard enough time as it is."

Severus raised his eyebrows. "Should I consider it an advantage to myself that you are such an appalling liar?"

I gave him an affronted look. "I'm not lying."

"Well then, I believe your concern for _Flourish and Blotts_ is certainly not your primary concern."

I stared back at Severus, feeling annoyed for no proper reason.

"Armilla," he said testily. "I haven't time for games."

"Alonzo Hewitt owns that bookstore," I said quietly. "I don't like him."

"Hewitt?" Severus glanced up at the sign. "That's an old wizarding name. I've taught plenty of them, several of them Slytherins, Alonzo included." He frowned as he turned back to me. "How do you know him?"

"He was at Slughorn's Christmas party. He's Arian Bletchley's cousin – Arian introduced us."

"Ah, yes, Mr Bletchley," Severus said, giving me an appraising look.

"Don't say that," I said crossly, tugging on his arm so we could pass to the other side of the alley.

"Touchy subject, is it?" he said as we walked away from the shop.

"It's not even a subject to start with. I don't know why you think that."

"I don't-"

"Professor Snape!"

I cursed as we stopped walking.

"Curse again, Armilla," Severus said tersely, "and I'll introduce to you to a lovely range of dishwashing potions, which you will not be washing the dishes with."

I fought back a biting reply at we turned around to see Alonzo Hewitt standing in the doorway of his shop.

"Mr Hewitt," Severus said, nodding in his direction. "We were just passing through."

"I'd be honoured if you gave me your opinion of my bookshop, sir."

"No," I said under my breath.

Severus nodded curtly. "Just briefly."

Alonzo grinned and disappeared back into his shop.

"Severus!" I whispered. "I don't want to go in there!"

"I'm the Head of Slytherin, Armilla," he replied, as we made our way back across the quiet alley. "It does not do to be rude, especially in times like these. A direct snub can have serious consequences. Several Hewitts support the Dark Lord."

"May I wait in another shop?"

He gave me an irritated look. "You may _not_."

Wanting to hurtle things through the window of the shop, I followed my brother inside.

Alonzo looked simply overjoyed to have his former teacher there. "It's an honour to have you here, sir," he said, cheerfully," shaking Severus' hand. He held his hand out to me. "It's wonderful to see you again, Armilla."

I nodded, shaking his hand very briefly.

Alonzo began to talk to Severus about his business, so I stepped away and looked around. It seemed a pleasant enough bookshop at first sight, but it wasn't until I had a closer look at some of the titles that I realised that Hewitt also appreciated some more…_controversial _authors. Some of the books held very old ideas about magical folk. Indeed, I was surprised that some were still in print.

"Come, Armilla," I heard Severus call.

"Arian will be very sorry to have missed you both," Alonzo said, as I joined them at the door. "He's gone out shopping just now."

I frowned. "Isn't he is France?"

Alonzo shook his head. "He's over here visiting. My wife, Leticia, had the baby early, you see, and he came to see us. Leticia is still in St Mungo's."

"Congratulations," Severus said. "A healthy child?"

He nodded. "As healthy as can be for an early delivery. The healers are still doing what they can. A daughter. The finest daughter to be had, and a good thing too, as I had been hoping for a son."

Severus merely nodded, as I tried to shield my disgust. Severus held out his hand once more. "We must be going. Good luck with your business, I wish you every success."

"Thank you, Professor." Alonzo turned to me. "Goodbye, Armilla. I'll tell Arian you were here."

I said goodbye as pleasantly as I could. I didn't want him to tell Arian that.

Severus had had the same thought. "Why is there a need for him to tell Arian Bletchley you'd been there?" he asked, as we walked towards _Flourish and Blotts_.

"I don't know," I snapped.

"Armilla-"

"I wish he wouldn't. My being there isn't newsworthy in the least."

"What do you have against Bletchley?"

"Nothing."

"You're very confusing."

"Do we _have_ to talk about it?" I asked, as we reached _Flourish and Blotts_.

"No, we don't," he said simply, holding the door open. "As you said, it_ isn't_ a subject."

"I don't know why other people think it is," I said gruffly, passing him into the shop.

"_Tone_, Armilla, non-subject closed," Severus said as he closed the door. "If you'd like something here, go and pick it out now." He headed for the new release section.

I stared after him, feeling cross once more. I knew I wasn't cross with Severus, just…cross. Sighing, I headed towards the wizarding classic fiction. Severus was always good about buying me books when we came to Diagon Alley.

I picked up a reprint of an old book Merle had been reading shortly before she died.

"I don't recommend that one."

Startled, I almost dropped the book. Arian Bletchley was standing at my left, smiling at me. "How are you, Armilla?"

"Fine…thanks," I said, holding onto the book just so I had something to do with my hands. "We just saw Alonzo in his shop. He told us about his daughter."

"Ah, yes, little Scholastica Leticia-" he paused at my incredulous look, "yes, quite a mouthful of a name, even by wizarding standards."

"You seem to have a master who is flexible with leave."

His smile faltered. "Well…yes, I suppose he is. I'm actually due back in France tomorrow. I do try to visit regularly if I can."

"That's nice for your family."

He nodded.

There was silence for a moment. "What are you doing in this shop, seeing as Alonzo has one? Aren't you shopping with the enemy?"

He laughed. "No, well, I was…coming in the check out the price differences."

I nodded. "I see."

Arian wiped his forehead. "Armilla-"

"Hello Armilla!"

I turned around. George Weasley, stood there, grinning inanely at me.

"Hello!" I greeted, genuinely happy to see him.

"I couldn't resist saying hello to an old chum," he said, winking at me.

"Why are you shopping for books?"

"I do enjoy my light reading, I'll have you know."

I smiled back. "Oh," I said, remembering that Arian was there, "Arian, this is-"

"A Weasley of course," said Arian, looking a little annoyed that our conversation had been interrupted. "You're a Weasley twin aren't you?" he said dismissively, looking down at George, who was at least a foot shorter. "Which one are you?"

"The right one," George said pleasantly.

Arian stared at him. "I never did get the Weasley humour."

I didn't hear George's reply. I was looking around the shop for Severus. He was no longer in the new release section. I spotted his dark head in a corner towards the front of the shop.

"Would you mind excusing us?" Arian said to George, as I turned back. "I was in the middle of a conversation with Armilla."

"Actually," said George, "that would be most inconvenient. I actually have some news to pass on to Armilla regarding some Ravenclaws I know. It will save me writing a letter." He gave Arian a short bow, which seemed slightly mocking to me. "I would be most obliged, Bletchley, if you would excuse us."

Arian opened his mouth and then closed it again. He looked at George as if he wanted nothing more than to hex him right out of the shop. At length, he turned back to me. "Armilla?"

"I'm sorry, Arian," I said, trying not to look too casual about the situation, "but I know what this is about and it is terribly important. I do need to hear what George has to say."

Arian looked furious. "Armilla, really, I-"

"Arian," I said lightly, "this is not a contest. I really do need to speak with George."

Arian stared at me a moment longer. Suddenly looking resigned, he shot a distasteful look at George before addressing himself to me.

"It was wonderful to see you. I hope to see you again soon."

I nodded, trying to give a passable smile back.

He turned and walked away. We watched at he exited the shop, his hands deep in the pockets of his robes.

I turned back to George, who was grinning again.

"Sorry, but you looked like you needed saving."

I gave him a glare, albeit with only a little enthusiasm. "Were you following me?"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "Always."

"I _didn't_ need saving," I said, folding my arms.

"I wouldn't be so sure." He looked serious for a moment. "He looked dodgy to me."

"Dodgy?" I repeated. "I'm not sure that's the word I'd use."

He shrugged. "I didn't mean in the usual way. I mean that he's not someone I believe has your best interests at heart."

I stared at him. "You got that impression after a few seconds of observation?"

George gave me a mischievous grin. "I'm not the quieter twin for nothing," he said, rocking back and forth. "I've always been the more observant one."

I laughed.

"Seriously, though," he went on, looking serious again. "Be careful, Armilla. You don't want to go messing with the wrong Slytherin sort."

"My brother's a Slytherin," I pointed out.

George gave a curt nod. "And I think anyone who's met him would tell you not to mess with him."

I couldn't argue with that. "There are some _good_ Slytherins."

"I'm not saying there's not," he said evenly. "That's why I said _wrong_ Slytherin sort. I have no hesitation in stating that there's a wrong Gryffindor sort. Look at Peter Pettigrew."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know-"

"It's just-" George lowered his voice. "I knew he was a relative of that Alonzo Hewitt bloke. Call it a hunch. Alonzo isn't that popular among the merchants here in Diagon Alley."

I leaned in closer. "Why?"

"Just some suspicious stuff," he said, shrugging. "Fred and I are wary of him and his motives. If Arian is working with him, his interest in you may not only be in continuing the pureblood line." He gave a small cough. "That's not to say that any bloke being interested in you is always for the wrong reason."

I rolled my eyes. "Arian works in France…Lyon, I think."

"That doesn't mean he's not working for Alonzo Hewitt too." George suddenly looked over my shoulder. "Hello, Professor."

I turned around to see Severus walking up the aisle, three books in his hands. He nodded at George. "Mr Weasley."

"I'd best be going," George said to me. "Fred will start thinking he owns the place if I stay away much longer. See you later."

"Bye."

He grinned at Severus. "Professor." With that, he turned and walked towards back down the aisle. I watched him go, all the way to the door, grateful that he'd been there.

"I assume you haven't chosen anything?" Severus asked pointedly.

"Not yet," I answered quietly, looking back at the books. "I don't have to pick anything."

"Ten minutes," he said, walking away.

I glanced back at him as he walked away. I assumed he had seen Arian in the shop also. I just couldn't tell what he thought about him.

Sighing, I looked back at the books, wanting to pick out a couple before my mind got too distracted again.

"No charms books for once," Severus commented, as we exited the shop fifteen minutes later.

I had picked out two classics that I'd always wanted to read.

"I wanted something different," I said simply. "Thank you," I added.

He nodded, before holding out his arm so we could disapparate.

Moments later, we entered the school grounds and found a thestral-drawn carriage waiting for us.

"Dumbledore's way of keeping things pleasant," Severus said snidely, as he held open the carriage door. "He doesn't always think to send a carriage down."

We were silent for the first couple of minutes of the journey, each of us content to look out at the castle in the distance. Hogwarts was always beautiful, no matter what the weather or the time of day.

"It was unusual to see George Weasley in _Flourish and Blotts_," Severus said, turning away from the window.

"You can tell them apart?"

He nodded. "I kept my eye on those two boys more than any others when they were at Hogwarts. You do start to notice the differences in mannerisms."

"I suppose he likes to read," I said indifferently.

"Which one of you managed to have Bletchley leave so abruptly?"

I glared at him. "Were you watching us?"

He gave me a displeased look. "_Tone_, Armilla. I only looked up when I heard him leaving. He looked more than a little miffed."

"George got him to leave," I said, "and he didn't like it."

"Was Bletchley offending one of you?"

"No."

He raised an eyebrow. "Was that not immature then?"

"No," I said, this time more forcibly. "Why would it be? He wanted George to leave."

Severus just stared at me.

"I don't why either of them were there anyway," I said crossly, looking away.

He didn't say anything.

I suddenly thought of something else. I turned back to my brother. "George thinks Arian is dodgy."

"Dodgy?" Severus repeated.

I nodded. "He doesn't trust Alonzo Hewitt either. Apparently he's not very popular in Diagon Alley."

"Slytherins rarely_ are_ popular outside their own House, even when they leave school," Severus said, dismissively. "I would have been shocked to learn that the Weasleys were on friendly terms with Hewitt."

"You think they're biased?" I said incredously. "They would just distrust the two of them for no reason?"

"Gryffindors in particular are prone to being judgemental, Armilla."

I shook my head, looking way.

"You're disposed to believe they must be guilty?"

"I don't know. I know none of the particulars."

"Just be careful, Armilla."

I frowned as I looked at him. "Be careful of what?"

"Of whom you put your faith in."

"You don't trust George Weasley?"

"I do trust him," he replied, his face neutral. "What I mean is, it would be wise to remain on the fence, so to speak, publicly."

"You want me to give equal attention then," I said slowly, thinking about what had happened in the bookshop. I shook my head. "I should have thought more about that."

"It seems trivial," Severus said, "but it wouldn't do to have me carry out my social obligations as normal, while you show your preference for Gryffindors."

"I don't have a preference for Gryffindors!" I said indignantly.

"Others then," he said impatiently. "I'm not asking you to be friends with them, just do what is needed."

I sighed. "I shouldn't have made a fuss of going into Alonzo's bookshop. I just really didn't want to go in there."

"Yes, I understood that much." He changed the subject. "Apparition training will start next weekend."

"Don't remind me," I groaned, looking down at the faded emerald on my bracelet. My magic was still adequate, but it wasn't what it should have been. Ever since that night in the bathroom at Slughorn's Christmas party, when I had aimed the emerald at the ghostly Merle, there had been no sign of her. This made it all the more annoying. Severus had let me be on my own from then, as I had wanted to see if I could spring a leak in the ghostly form, and collect my magic. Somehow I doubted it would be that easy. As it was, I was worried about splinching myself.

"You'll be fine," Severus said. "As long as you maintain focus, there's no need to worry."

"I've heard splinching really hurts," I muttered.

"If you concentrate enough, you'll never find out firsthand."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Mill! I'm glad you're back," Lisa said, jumping up from her bed to hug me as I came into the dormitory. "Dinner's soon. Was the funeral…what you expected?"

"Pretty much," I replied, letting go of her. "Hi," I said, to the other occupants in the room. As I took my bag out of my pocket to resize it, I did a double take.

"Ruby!"

Ruby, stretched out on her bed with her arms resting behind her head, smiled up at me. "I'm back," she said happily. "I wouldn't let Mum and Dad keep my away."

Ruby had gone home before Christmas and hadn't returned till now.

"Wasn't someone in your family sick?" I asked.

Ruby nodded. "My grandma was sick, so we went to stay with her in Wiltshire. She's better now, so I'm glad to be back!"

"Yes, we know," said Padma, yawning. "You and Mandy talked all night, last night."

"Did not," giggled Mandy, throwing a cushion at her. "Your snoring must have kept you awake."

"What nerve you have-"

"Sorry to hear about your dad, Armilla," said Ruby. "Had he been unwell?"

"I…would rather not talk about it, to be honest," I said, sitting down on my bed. My father's death had become even more suspicious, since Draco Malfoy had revealed that the Dark Lord hadn't been happy about it.

"Oh, you lucky thing, you went to _Flourish and Blotts_!" Lisa exclaimed, spotting my shopping bag. "Get anything good?"

"Just some old stories."

"How lovely," Padma grinned, lying back down on her bed. "Professor Snape took you shopping."

I rolled my eyes.

"I bet Diagon Alley was deserted," Ruby said.

Mandy nodded. "_The Daily Prophet_ is always talking about more shops closing down."

"There was one that opened up late last year," said Padma. "Dad told me. Another bookshop."

"Another bookshop?" Lisa smiled. "That's good." She looked at me. "Did you have a look?"

"Only briefly," I replied. "It seemed to sell quite a lot of old titles in reprint."

"Hewitts," said Ruby suddenly.

Everyone looked at her. "Hewitts bookstore," she said. "Alonzo Hewitt is the owner. I met him at Slughorn's party, before I went home. He's the chosen of that boy who was interested in you…what's his name…Arian Bletchley!"

I mentally groaned.

"Interested in you?" Lisa repeated.

"You know," I said, not really addressing myself to anyone in particular, "a mere conversation with someone of the opposite sex shouldn't imply that we'll be picking out china patterns in no time."

Ruby smiled.

I frowned. "Seriously, Ruby. You've taken me by complete surprise. I have to disappoint you if you think there actually _is _anything."

Ruby looked confused.

"Come on," said Lisa hastily. "Dinner!"

o o o o o o o o o o o

"I'm so hungry," Terry said, as we sat down to breakfast on Wednesday morning, "I could eat a hippogriff."

"You're always hungry," Lisa told him, reaching for the coffee.

"Must be all the hard work I do," he said, stretching.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Of course."

"He eats nothing compared to what Anthony can consume," said Padma in disgust, watching Anthony demolish a piece of toast in a matter of seconds. Anthony swallowed and gave her a grin.

She shuddered. "Very attractive."

"That's nothing," said Michael Corner, sitting down on Anthony's other side. "Crabbe and Goyle eat enough for all of us."

"For a week," Lisa added, pouring cereal.

"Don't know what they need the energy for," said Terry, glancing over at the Slytherin table. "It's not like they do anything."

"Oh come on," laughed Anthony, "it must take a lot of effort to double as a ogre for the better part of the day."

Ruby and Mandy giggled.

"They're completely lost now that their master, the almighty Draco Malfoy, is no longer here," said Michael, shaking his head. "Do you think he's really missing?"

"Hiding, more like," muttered Terry.

Ruby made a face. "Any guesses where he is?"

"Somewhere comfortable, I'll wager," said Padma.

We looked up at the sound of loud hooting and the fluttering of wings. The morning post was arriving.

Terry immediately pretended to pray. He clasped his hands together and shut his eyes. "Please nothing for me. Please nothing for me."

"Still afraid your parents will take you away?" I asked.

He nodded grimly, closing his eyes. "They wouldn't say so much in a letter, but they'll at least hint." The number of deaths in his village hadn't increased, so Terry was hoping his family wouldn't relocate abroad.

"I think you're in luck," Lisa said, her eyes scanning above. "I can't see your parents' owl." She suddenly smiled. "But there's mum's owl!"

A large, brown owl landed in front of her. "She promised to send me some new gloves," she said, untying the package.

I was finishing the last of my toast when two unfamiliar owls landed right in front of me. I was surprised; the only person I generally heard from these days was Matilda, and even that was only once a month.

"More deaths and people missing," Michael announced, having unrolled _The Daily Prophet._ "I long for the day when the headline will be a happy one."

Everyone nodded or murmured their agreement. Such headlines these days weren't as eye-opening as they used to be. Everyone was just worried that one of their relatives would be named among the missing or dead.

I smiled to myself when I opened the first package, which was a little heavy. Out fell a shopping back with the _Weasleys Wizard Wheezes_ logo on it. Attached to it was a piece of parchment.

"Mailing ordering from joke shops, Armilla?" Mandy asked, grinning at the bag. "I love their products."

"I'm sure Professor Snape wouldn't approve," said Ruby airily, unrolling her own newspaper.

"Matilda sent them," I told them, perfectly sure that she hadn't. "She does like the occasional gag." I unfolded the parchment.

_Dearest Armilla,_

_Greetings from Weasleys Wizard Wheezes!_

_It was great to see you the other day. Feel free to hire my services again if you feel to need to be saved from tedious company._

_I have put in some samples for you, which you are free to use at your leisure. Rest assured that I condone their use in class, but most professors won't. If you get in trouble, I'll take a little responsibility – just let me know!_

_George Weasley_

_The Better Half of the Creative Team_

Smiling, I refolded the parchment. I decided to have a look at the products later. Opening them now would surely create too much attention. I turned instead, to the other letter, which was just a folded piece of parchment.

"What's up, Lis?" Terry asked, frowning at Lisa.

I looked up. Lisa was staring at her parchment, ashen faced.

"My uncle's dead," she said quietly.

"The one who's been missing?" Padma asked.

Lisa nodded, closing her eyes. "My aunt's family has been in hiding. Mum said his body was found up north somewhere."

"Did he work for the Ministry?" Ruby asked.

Lisa nodded, opening her eyes. "He always made it known that he supported Dumbledore." She shook her head, folding the parchment. "He was my favourite uncle."

"I'm sorry," Terry said, taking her hand.

"Me too," I said quietly. "Does your mum want you to go home?"

"She didn't say." Lisa sighed, blinking back tears. She suddenly stood up. "I don't think I want breakfast anymore. I'll see you in class."

Terry and I immediately stood up too. "No, we'll come," Terry told her.

I picked up my package and unopened letter and followed them out of the Great Hall. I felt sick. More and more people were dying everyday, but it just felt worse when it directly affected my best friend.

o o o o o o o o o o o

I had initially planned on staying in the dungeons that night, but I promised Lisa after our last class that afternoon that I would join her that evening in our dormitory. I left her with Terry, Padma, Ruby and Michael, who were talking of spending some time out in the grounds.

"Good evening," Severus greeted, when I joined him in the sitting room after classes that day. "Good day?"

"Okay," I shrugged. "Yours?"

"Only one blown up cauldron," he replied, sitting on the sofa, "so nothing out of the ordinary."

"Lisa's uncle died," I said, joining him on the sofa. "The one who had been missing. They found him up north."

Severus shook his head. "I did try to find out about him," he said quietly, "but to no avail. I suppose that was the reason for Miss Turpin's poor performance in class today?"

I nodded. "She's wondering if she'll have to go home. She probably won't come back if she does."

"Her family's safety is what is important," Severus replied, pouring us tea. "I am not always made aware of who is being targeted. Some killings, I believe, are entirely for sport."

I made a face. "I know." I took the cup he handed me. "Terry's been waiting for the hint that it's time to come home."

"I daresay many will have left before the school year is out."

It was true. The class sizes had gradually been getting smaller.

"I received some samples from _Weasleys Wizard Wheezes_ this morning," I said, changing the subject.

"From George Weasley or both of them?"

"George," I answered, putting my teacup down. I reached into my schoolbag, rummaged for a bit and then pulled out the package. The sealed letter fell out with it. I had completely forgotten about it after Lisa's news that morning.

I opened the shopping bag. "Just a few things," I said, handing them to my brother. "They're always useful." I knew Severus still had a secret interest in the development of the Weasley twins' products.

He took the bag, looking interested. I occupied myself with opening the forgotten letter.

_Dear Armilla,_

_Let me begin by saying how delightful it was to see you on Sunday afternoon. I truly enjoyed speaking with you, even though our conversation was, most unfortunately, cut short._

_I have been told that a Hogsmeade trip has been planned for Saturday, 1__st__ March. It is great luck that I shall be in England that weekend. I would be honoured if you would spend the day with me in Hogsmeade._

_Please send your answer as soon as possible,_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Arian Bletchley_

I let out the breath I had only just realised I had been holding. Go out with Arian Bletchley? My insides seemed to be churning.

"What's the matter?" Severus asked.

"Nothing," I said, folding the parchment as calmly as I could.

"Did Arian Bletchley write to you?"

My mouth dropped open. "How did you know that?"

"He wrote to me too."

"He _what_?"

"I believe you heard me."

"Why would he write to _you_?"

"To ask my permission to court you."

"That's repulsive," I said, feeling sickened.

"Very old wizarding tradition," Severus explained. "Even the Malfoys don't do it. Old Mr Black was outraged when his daughters were courted without permission. After he found that Narcissa's beau was a Malfoy, which meant money if nothing else, he was rather complying."

I shook my head. "It's still repulsive."

"I do agree," Severus said. "It seems Bletchley was quite confident in my answer, seeing as he wrote to you without waiting for my answer."

"When did he write to you?"

"I received the letter on Monday morning, so he didn't hesitate after seeing you."

"Monday morning?" I repeated. I was suddenly more annoyed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"This is the first time I've seen you outside of class this week," he replied. "I didn't think time was of the essence in regards to this matter. Your answer is no, is it not?"

"You should have told me," I said crossly.

"I apologise then," he said impatiently. "I was planning on telling you when I next saw you."

I looked away, angry.

"I will write to him directly if you wish."

"Okay."

"Though, I think it necessary that you also respond."

I nodded. "All right."

"We should be sure that our letters do not contradict information as well."

"Okay."

Severus suddenly put his cup down with a clatter. "For Merlin's _sake_, Armilla," he snapped, his eyes flashing, "you are capable of giving more than one word answers. Show some manners and respond properly."

I stared at him, feeling bewildered. "I didn't have anything to _add_ to what you were saying." That wasn't fair. "I _do_ have manners and I _was_ responding properly."

I was suddenly facing the dangerous expression I had feared as a first year. He spoke with a deadly quiet voice. "And do you believe the tone you just addressed me with was a shining example of your politeness?"

I sighed, frustrated. "No, but you weren't being fair."

He shook his head. "To be perfectly honest, Armilla, I was happy to avoid any topic concerning Arian Bletchley for as long as possible, as it means having you at your most impatient, and, dare I add,_ irritable_."

I said nothing.

Severus glared at me. "All over one boy. This is ridiculous."

I shook my head. "It isn't that," I said quietly.

He looked a little disbelieving. "What then?"

Again, I said nothing. I wasn't sure how to express what I wanted to say without feeling selfish."

"Armilla," he said sternly.

"I'm thinking."

"I had hoped that we would know each other well enough by now that no rehearsal is needed when speaking about this topic."

"It's an awkward topic," I said stiffly.

"I never said otherwise."

I looked at him, considering the thoughts swirling in my mind.

"Until the war is over," I said slowly, "the list of people I can date will remain pretty thin."

"How so?"

"They have to be pureblood or…be a supporter of the Dark Lord, so as not to compromise your position."

Severus frowned. We were silent for a moment, then he opened his mouth to say something. "Armilla-"

"And you'll always come first."

His frown deepened. "You're implying that there's already someone on your mind."

I stood up. "No, there's not."

He held up a hand, signalling me to stop when I went to walk away. "I told you before Christmas that I wouldn't mind if you married a muggle if you felt so inclined. It's the implications we have to worry about. We really would have to think about going into hiding if you did." He gave my hand a tug so I would sit back down.

"I know," I replied, sitting down again. "I get it. The implications are too great to risk." I looked away. "I don't _want _Arian Bletchley."

"Then don't," he said simply. "You don't have to have _anyone_."

I stared at my feet. I was being selfish. Why should I feel so let down that my situation in life would prevent me from pursuing a relationship? Wasn't our safety the most important thing?

"I thought saying yes to Arian would make you happy."

He looked surprised for a moment, and then he sneered. "Of all the _ridiculous_ notions…why would you think something so absurd?"

"He seems the right sort for-"

"You mean the _Slytherin_ sort?"

I couldn't help laughing.

Severus looked a little unnerved. "What's so amusing?"

I hesitated. "Harry Potter referred to Arian that way at Slughorn's party and I told him he was making assumptions."

His sneer became more pronounced. "And we all know how astute Potter is, especially when it comes to generalising Slytherins."

I bit back my comment about Severus' notion of Gryffindors. "You cannot say anything to Harry."

He rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't dream of it. Back to the point, you seem to believe I would have you matched with a Slytherin. Are you presuming I have a check-list with detailed requirements around here somewhere?"

I smiled. "More of a mental one."

He didn't deny it.

"Don't we all have one?"

He shook his head. "Not necessarily." He sighed. "Armilla, please do not spend any more time thinking about all of this. It brings out a rather… temperamental side that I'd rather not deal with."

I made a _hmph_ noise as I got up. When had I been temperamental recently? There was an amused laugh in my head. _Would you like a list?_

"Just assure me it's not Harry Potter and we can forget this conversation."

I gave him a look. "It's not."

"Thank Merlin." He suddenly looked revolted. "Weasley?"

I frowned. "Pardon?"

"Not Ronald Weasley either?"

"Of course not."

"Longbottom?"

"Severus!"

"I'm just making sure."

"Neville is a nice boy."

"This conversation is at an end, Armilla." He summoned some parchment and ink. "Go and get started on your reply to Bletchley. I have a letter to write."

o o o o o o o o o o o

I started my walk back to Ravenclaw Tower that night with strong conflicting feelings inside me. I was feeling incredibly relieved to have made a decision over Arian Bletchley, but at the same time, I was dreading that he might reply. I had left my finished letter with Severus, who had said that he would send it off with his letter the next morning. He had assured me that he would send two separate owls.

My thoughts turned to Lisa as I made my way up the dungeon stairs. It must be awful to have her parents living in fear, and having the worry of her aunt and her family in hiding. I wondered if Lisa would end up going home. What if Terry left too?

_Don't be selfish_, my conscious reminded me. _Everyone's safety is at stake_.

That was true. I wondered how long it would be before the school's population had halved. Damn You-Know-Who.

I went up the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall and walked along the deserted corridors. It was only fifteen minutes before curfew, so it seemed that most had already retired to their common rooms for the night.

Random thoughts of my conversation with Severus made their way back into my head. I shook my head at Severus' concern about Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley. Honestly, there were worse people than those two. They had good hearts. As for Harry, well, the idea of it alone might just finish Severus off.

I rounded a corner, completely lost in thought.

"Hello."

I stopped abruptly, feeling winded.

"Mer…Merle?" I spluttered. She was _here_? It had been such along time.

"Hello, darling."

_Don't you hello darling me_, I thought. I had been preparing for this moment. I took out my wand. _This dark magic drains my magic_, I mentally told the bracelet. _It is a danger to me and I need my magic back!_ I held my arm out so that the faded emerald was facing her.

As soon as emerald faced her, Merle began to shriek. As before, she turned a very familiar shade of green, but she was protected by the sheen covering her. Pointing my wand at her, I muttered an incantation Severus had taught me.

Merle's shriek became louder as the spell pierced the sheen. A green substance, neither liquid nor gas, came pouring out of the opening. I felt an incredible force as it came at my emerald like a magnet.

Victory.

o o o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Hello everyone! Hope you were able to follow the chapter after my very long absence. I've had to cut the chapter a bit short, as it was getting too long and I had another couple of scenes to put in. They'll be in the next chapter. Armilla's teenage drama got in the way in this one.

Thank you to **delacre**, for the wonderful support she provides, and for the friendly reminder that the school holidays in Oz are nearly at end. True, and I just made it – I wanted to have this chapter out before returning to work with my new class.


	32. Making Connections

**Chapter 32**

I watched Merle scream with bittersweet satisfaction. It wouldn't have been normal to enjoy this too much; it was an impression of my former guardian I was watching – and her face was currently contorted with pain. Who could witness such a thing with only pleasure?

_Big picture, though_, I reminded myself every time unwanted feelings came. This wasn't Merle. It was a very clever piece of dark magic that had been designed to rob me of my magic.

At this thought, my rage strengthened and the magic pouring into the emerald on my bracelet came at me with a much stronger force.

I was starting to feel a little lightheaded, but I didn't want to stop. Severus had warned me that my magic might come at me with a magnetic force once I had burst the sheen on Merle. Even so, the force seemed to get stronger and stronger, and Merle's wails grew fainter.

The green on my emerald was getting closer to its original colour and I smiled, relieved that I had back what was mine.

I inwardly cursed when I heard footsteps approaching. Merle would vanish before I had collected all my magical strength.

"Armilla!" Merle was gone. I turned to see Harry Potter jogging towards me, his wand in his hand. "I heard a strange wailing noise."

To be honest, I was surprised that no one had come sooner because of the noise. I supposed most students had returned to their common rooms for the night.

I took a step towards Harry and had to clutch the wall as my head spun.

"Are you okay?" Harry looked alarmed. He looked up and down the corridor. "Who was screaming?"

"Milly!" Terry, Lisa and Ruby had rounded the corner and were walking towards me.

"What was that noise?" Terry called.

"Er…Moaning Myrtle," I said hastily. "Peeves was giving her a hard time."

Lisa fixed me with a look, telling me she didn't believe me at all.

"Are you heading back to the Tower?" I asked her, wanting to change the subject.

She nodded. "Don't think I'll sleep, but I may as well go to bed."

"I think it's only a matter of time before your mum wants you to go home," said Terry quietly.

"Maybe not," Lisa replied. She looked back at me. "Mum wrote again, saying that she didn't think it was a good idea to leave school to attend the funeral."

"I'm sorry," said Harry, wearing a pinched expression as he looked at Lisa. "I heard your uncle died…"

"Thanks," she said. "Well, we had better go if we want to get back before curfew."

I nodded, and they turned and continued down the corridor. I let go of the wall and followed slowly behind, wincing as a wave of nausea rushed through me.

Harry fixed me with an expectant look and I shook my head at him. I didn't want to share what had just happened with Merle. As I turned back, I caught Ruby's eye. She would find it strange enough that I had been alone in a corridor with Harry. She loved to gossip; I didn't want to give her any more ammunition.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Didn't know you and Harry Potter were such good friends," said Ruby in a light voice as we entered our dorm.

"He heard Peeves too, Ruby," I said curtly. "Don't start over imagining something that was a non-event in the first place."

"I thought I saw Peeves outside the library only a few minutes before I saw you," Ruby pressed, folding her arms.

"Are you implying that ghosts move so slowly that we couldn't have both seen Peeves?" I shook my head at her. "Honestly, Ruby, everyone knows how quickly they move, especially a poltergeist."

Ruby glared at me before flouncing off to the bathroom.

"What's her problem?" I said grumpily, sitting on my bed. I still felt dizzy and nauseous.

"Well?" Lisa hissed, sitting down opposite me, on her bed. She took out my wand and cast a spell to ensure our privacy from eavesdroppers.

"I got a lot of my magic back," I said, showing her the much greener emerald on my bracelet. "It was Merle you heard screaming."

Lisa looked impressed. "How did you manage it?"

"I instructed it to protect me. It broke open the sheen and my magic started coming at me like a magnetic force."

Lisa frowned. "You're lucky it didn't hurt you, coming at you with a force like that. It could have sent you into shock."

I smiled. "You sound like Severus."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm serious. Didn't he warn you about it?"

I nodded. "Of course he did. I was willing to take the risk to get my magic back."

"But your magic hasn't been too bad lately," Lisa reasoned. "I know you lost a fair bit of power when it first started happening and you were getting forgetful and stuff, but you seem to have built it up again."

"Through a lot of hard work and focus," I replied, suddenly feeling edgy. "But I knew it wasn't what it was originally. Severus wasn't sure if I'd be able to build it up or not, once it had been weakened. I thought I had best try."

Lisa nodded. "Of course. But…won't this affect how you channel your magic, now that you have it back?"

"I was thinking about that all the way up here," I admitted. "If it took a lot of focus to work with what magic I had before, I do wonder what it's going to be like now."

"Try something," Lisa suggested.

Taking out my wand, I looked around until my eyes settled on an empty glass on my bedside table. I focused on the spell in my mind, recalling the wand movement. I pointed my wand at the glass.

"_Aguamenti_."

_Smash!_

Glass flew everywhere as the glass shattered. We both yelped as the glass pierced our skin with far more force than seemed logical. The force of the water that came flying at us at the same time didn't help.

"Well," said Lisa slowly, pulling a piece of glass out of her hand, "I think we were right, don't you."

I didn't answer. I reached up and touched where a small piece of glass had lodged itself just under my eye. _ Lucky_.

Lisa pointed her wand at the mess and cleared up the water and shattered glass. I felt terrible that she had blood trickling down her face, neck and hands.

"I'm sorry," I said uneasily. "I've injured you!"

She laughed. "Well, that fact that I'm very forgiving is a true measure of the strength of our friendship."

"This is no time to be sentimental, you Hufflepuff," I said crossly.

She laughed again. "Armilla, you have blood on your face."

I reached up and felt it. "I probably look no worse than you." I sighed. "Thank goodness you used a silencing charm."

"The others are going to come in and see," said Lisa, looking worried. "And Ruby's in the bathroom. "I don't know how to heal these properly by myself. Do you think we should go to Madam Pomfrey?"

"No," I said quickly, biting my lip. "Dittany would help…"

Lisa looked cross. "Well, I don't have any lying around, do you?"

"No…and besides, it might not help if there's glass still in there."

"Tell Snape, then," said Lisa. "You have to tell him about Merle anyway. You may as well do it now. Use your card thing."

I pulled out my chocolate frog card, with which both Lisa and Terry were now familiar.

_May Lisa and I come down? We've had an incident with shattered glass._

I waited for a minute or two, praying that Ruby would take a very long shower. Finally I received a reply.

_Sounds like a thrilling tale. Yes, come down. Hold onto Miss Turpin and don't let go. I don't want her being splinched. You have twenty seconds before I activate it._

Ew. I shuddered. "Here," I whispered, holding out my hand.

Lisa grasped it, looking a little confused.

I pressed my index finger to the card. "He's going to transport us down to the dungeons."

"Oh good," she replied, sarcasm evident in her voice. "As long as I don't get in trouble for this…"

"You won't."

I suddenly felt the familiar tug, a little weaker than a portkey, and a moment later, we were standing in the sitting room, facing Severus.

"What in Merlin's name have the two of you been doing?" Severus asked in a hard voice, taking in our injuries. "Armilla, I said goodnight to you less than half an hour ago. How could you have so quickly engaged in some sort of Gryffindor antic?"

I stared back at him, unable to stop my crossness spreading across my face.

Severus sighed. "How did you manage to procure such an…interesting injury?"

"_Aguamenti_," I answered simply.

"And a little too much force, I suppose," Lisa added. "We've been doing it in Charms."

Severus looked sharply at her. "Too much force?" He looked back at me. "It's a simple spell, one you know how to do properly."

"I know, but I was experimenting," I said. "I saw Merle tonight on my way back up and I used my bracelet to break the sheen."

Severus' stern look was suddenly combined with curiosity. "Go on," he said quietly.

"My magic came back at me, like I hoped it would," I said excitedly.

"And we stopped her getting it all back because we heard the screaming," said Lisa, suddenly more confident.

"We?" Severus repeated.

"Terry, Ruby and I," she replied, flushing. "Well, technically Merle disappears for whoever's there first, so really Harry Potter stopped it-"

I closed my eyes, wanting to kill her. When I opened them, Severus' lips were pressed together in a tight line.

"Potter?" he said quietly to me, his black eyes glittering.

"He didn't see anything, of course," I said. "He heard the noise too, so he came to see what it was."

"Simple as that," said Lisa, nodding. "Armilla just said it was Peeves and Moaning Myrtle."

Severus looked doubtful as he looked back to me. "And they believed you?"

"I hope so," I said dismissively. "What's done is done."

"Indeed." Severus folded his arms. "Tell me about the force, Armilla. I'd like to know how well you received the lost magic."

I felt Lisa's eyes on me too. "It was like a magnetic force," I said simply. "It felt a little strong at times, but nothing unbearable."

Severus gave me a calculating look. "And you had no reaction afterwards? You acted as normal."

"I felt a little dizzy and nauseous," I admitted. "But nothing more."

"Mm," he said, watching me closely. "And so you decided to test your magic?"

I nodded. "We wanted to see if there was much change?"

Severus sighed, gesturing for us to sit down on the sofa. "I fear there's some work ahead of us, Armilla, if you are to get used to this new strength of magic." He walked down the corridor and into his lab.

Lisa and I said nothing as we waited. Severus returned a moment, later carrying a small bottle of dittany, a bowl and some cloths.

"You will have to learn how to control it," he said to me, putting the bottle down on the coffee table.

"I know." I would have to change my focus all over again.

"And next time you feel like experimenting," he said, taking out his wand, "don't risk a spell that's likely to cause injury to yourself and others."

"Sorry," I said quietly.

"It was my fault too," Lisa said earnestly. "I encouraged her to try something out. Don't just blame Armilla."

Severus frowned at her. "Miss Turpin, you sound like a Hufflepuff."

"I do not," Lisa huffed, glaring at him. "Armilla already told me that tonight."

"Great minds think alike," he muttered, pouring a few drops of dittany onto a cloth. He handed it to Lisa before picking his wand up again. "I'm going to do a charm," he told her, "not unlike an Accio charm. It will dislodge any hidden glass from your skin, so you may feel several stings."

Lisa nodded, trying not to squirm.

"Armilla, I will direct the glass to this bowl," my brother told me, handing me the bowl.

I watched as Severus raised his wand and started chanting under his breath. Lisa let out a gasp and several tiny pieces of glass dislodged themselves and flew into the bowl I was holding.

"Now use the dittany to close the cuts, they're not deep," Severus told Lisa.

She complied, and it wasn't long before she looked as normal again.

Now giving the bowl to Lisa, Severus handed me a new cloth with dittany and repeated the same process.

"I don't know about the Apparition lessons on Saturday, Armilla," Severus said, putting taking the cloth away when I had finished.

"I can't miss it!" I said indignantly. "That's not fair."

"You cannot take the test with most of the Sixth Years anyway," Severus said, placing the lid on the bottle of dittany, "as you won't be seventeen by the day of the test. There's plenty of time."

"You might splinch yourself," said Lisa, screwing up her nose.

"Very helpful, thanks," I muttered.

"Miss Turpin is correct, Armilla," said Severus, a warning tone in his voice. "Do you want to embarrass yourself on Saturday? If your magic is not in control, who know what might happen?"

I knew he was right. That didn't mean I had to be happy about it. "What if I show you that I can control it before Saturday?" I asked.

Severus looked sceptical. "You think you'll master it within a few days?"

"Why not? It _is_ my own magic after all."

Severus didn't look convinced. After a moment's pause, he answered. "Alright, but if I don't agree on Saturday morning, there's to be no argument, understand?"

"Yes," I said, nodding. I paused, watching him. "You're humouring me, aren't you?"

"Never," he drawled, giving me a look that said otherwise.

o o o o o o o o o o o

"Thank you, Professor," said Lisa as we came down the corridor towards the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.

"You are welcome, Miss Turpin," Severus answered. "Let us hope that it does not happen again."

"It won't," I promised him. I stared up ahead as I saw the entrance open.

"It's Ruby, I think," said Lisa.

As we got closer, we saw that it was indeed Ruby. She had halted just outside the entrance once she had caught sight of us.

"And what brings you out after curfew, Miss Parkes?" Severus asked, fixing her with his best scary teacher stern gaze.

"I…er…noticed that Armilla and Lisa were missing, sir," Ruby answered, looking more annoyed than intimidated. "I went into the dorm with them, and then they disappeared!"

"Disappeared, or just_ left the room_," Lisa said, looking irritated. "Honestly, Ruby, you're just snooping about for more gossip."

Ruby put her hands on her hips. "I did not-"

She paused when Severus held up a hand to stop her. "I have no time to listen to this. Twenty points from Ravenclaw for being out after curfew, Miss Parkes. I shall be informing your Head of House."

Ruby looked horrified. "But what about _them_?" she said, pointing at us. "They were out after curfew."

"They were _called_ out after curfew," Severus informed her, raising an eyebrow. "There is a difference, and do not speak back, Miss Parkes, or you will land yourself in more trouble."

Ruby huffed. "Yes, sir," she muttered.

Severus looked distastefully at her. "The three of you are to go to bed."

"Yes, sir," Lisa and Ruby said.

Severus turned and walked back down the corridor.

"Out looking for Harry Potter?" Ruby said in a loud whisper, clearly intended for Severus' hearing. If he had heard, he hadn't turned around. A moment later, he disappeared around the corridor.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, Ruby," I said, pushing past her so I could enter the Tower. "What have I done to you lately that warrants this?"

"Yeah, you've always liked to gossip," Lisa piped up, following us in, "but never this badly." She widened her eyes at Ruby. "Are _you_ after Harry Potter then?"

Ruby scowled. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I hope the three of you are going to bed," called Marc Jefferson, the Head Boy. He was standing at the foot of the stairs that led to the boys' dorm. "Flitwick will have my head if he comes in here and catches you."

Ruby immediately gave him a sweet smile. "You know it wouldn't be your fault, Marc. We're just off to bed."

Rolling my eyes at her, I led the way up to our dorm.

"Try your magic out on her," Lisa murmured in my ear. "I'm sure it's safe."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Alright," Slughorn called, "take your usual partner and begin practising the jinxes I have just demonstrated. Do your best to shield yourself. Off you go then!"

"Recovered from last night?" Harry asked me quietly, as we moved to the side of the classroom.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah, before you two start," Slughorn called, almost jogging to us. "A word, Miss Snape. I have a few suggestions for defeating young Mr Potter, here."

"I really don't need them, sir," I said, smiling back. "Harry Potter is no challenge."

"Oh ha ha," Harry sneered, folding his arms.

The students, who had paused when Slughorn had called out, resumed finding their positions, making noise once more.

"Severus told me you might have a few bouts of…erratic magic," Slughorn said quietly. "I would prefer you to try duelling me first, before you try to defeat Potter. Your brother has given you advice?"

I nodded. Severus had called me down to the dungeons early that morning to speak about starting slowly and carefully with the amount of magic I was channelling. I had tried it out the sitting room. It was true that I had destroyed a cushion whilst trying to levitate it, but other than that, it had come down to having s lot more practice. I had successfully levitated three others, even if they had ended up whizzing around the room before landing on the sofa again.

Slughorn raised his wand. "Try me."

I raised my wand and cast a jinx directly at him, trying to control the magic I felt. My magic seemed to have far more emotion, or was making me feel it a lot more. It seemed to be racing through my veins, which wasn't the most comfortable of feelings.

Slughorn shielded the curse easily. "Very good," he said, nodding. "Try another, a different one this time."

Complying, I cast another, feeling magic pulsate through me.

Slughorn staggered that time, but still looked nonplussed. Maybe it wasn't as bad as we had initially thought after all.

"Very well, then," Slughorn said, looking satisfied. "Carry on."

And so Harry and I happily duelled for the next ten minutes. We each staggered with the strength of the other's various jinxes, but that was normal for us.

What wasn't normal for me was how quickly I became tired. I had to focus so much on the release of my magic that I was finding it hard to keep up with the strength of Harry's magic.

"Come on," Harry called. "You're slipping. You're not going to let me win, are you?"

"No!" I called back, giving him a mock glare. I gathered up the strength I had and gave my next jinx a little more force.

Or what I had thought was a little more force…

Harry was thrown over the desk behind him. Luckily Slughorn had been watching, no doubt due to Severus' warning, and cast a cushioning charm before Harry hit the floor.

"Well done," Harry said, looking dazed as he got up. He raised his wand again. "Watch out, I'm paying you back for that."

"I don't think so," I said, my wand ready. I didn't feel as confident as I sounded.

Harry cast another jinx with a great deal of force. This time, I used my favourite shield, designed to reverse the jinx and attack the caster. I had once caused Pansy Parkinson to grow a flipper with that shield.

As exhausted as I felt, I drew on my remaining strength to bring the shield up with necessary force.

"OW!" Harry yelled, as scorch marks appeared all over him. "What did you do? I only cast a simple stinging hex."

I barely heard him. I ended up on the floor after my shield gave way. My energy was depleted. When I saw that several students around the room had stopped to watch us, I tried to look as nonchalant as possible, which was hard when you were on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Slughorn was suddenly at my side.

"Yes, sir," I said quietly, standing up. "I'm fine."

I concentrated on Harry, who was doing his best to heal the scorch marks. Slughorn reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tub of salve, which he tossed to Harry. "You never know when you're going to need it," he said by way of explanation.

Harry grinned. "Thanks, sir."

"Ready?" I asked Harry, when he had finished.

He looked a little doubtful. "Are you sure?"

I smiled. "Scared, Potter?"

He rolled his eyes.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

"And you still wish to participate in the Apparition classes on Saturday," Severus drawled, as we entered our quarters at lunchtime.

DADA had just ended and Slughorn had sent me down to Severus for Pepper Up, fearing that I'd not make it through the rest of the day. I thought it was exaggerating, to be honest. I was rather exhausted, too exhausted seeing as it was only halfway through the day.

"Yes," I said sullenly, following him into the lab. "Maybe…I should just watch then."

Severus gave me a small smile as he turned around from the cupboard. "Ah, some sense."

"I don't want to miss out."

He shook his head. "You won't be. As I said, you have plenty of time, seeing as you cannot take the test until June, when you're seventeen. Several other students are in the same position."

"I know."

"I don't think you should be looking for Merle any time soon," he said, uncorking the bottle. "You have enough to be getting on with at the moment. Learn to manage your magic as it is."

"But I want all of it back," I protested. "It's mine."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," he said impatiently, pouring some of the potion into a vial. "You need to think about what's right for you though. It won't be good for your body to have to adjust to varying levels of magic so often. It's not healthy, Armilla."

"But once I get it all back and I learn to cope with it, everything will be fine," I pointed out.

"Will it?" he asked, giving me a hard look. "You only got more of it back last night and look at the effect it's had on you today."

"It's not _that _bad," I said dismissively. "It's just a matter or getting used to it."

"We have spoken before of the risk involved," he said, shaking his head. "Do you not think that whoever is behind this will be angry enough that you have found a way to retrieve your magic?"

"I-" Actually, I_ hadn't_ thought of that at all.

Severus gave me a frustrated look. "Don't let your excitement at being reunited with your magic make you blind to the dangers of the whole exercise."

I didn't answer. I felt a little shaken now. What if it _was_ a whole lot worse the next time I saw Merle? Of course whoever it was would have noticed.

"I don't know what to do," I said quietly.

"Focus on controlling your magic and avoid being alone in the castle," my brother replied.

"That gets annoying very quickly, you know," I told him.

"Then, if you must be alone, and you _do _see Merle, don't make contact and move as quickly as you can to a place where you know you'll find company."

I frowned. "No more experimenting? My emerald's good, you know."

Severus sighed. "I know, Armilla, but it's a dangerous risk."

We were silent for a moment.

"She needs to be defeated," I said finally, stifling a yawn.

"But not whilst risking your magic and health," Severus said firmly. "End of topic, Armilla." He handed me the vial of Pepper Up. "Cheers."

Merle still on my mind, I downed the potion, wincing at the taste. A moment later, I felt the effect of steam slowing seeping from my ears.

"Why don't we eat lunch down here?" my brother suggested, smirking at the sight. "It won't be so noticeable after lunch."

I nodded, and headed to my bedroom as Severus went to Floo Call for some food.

I laid down on my bed, thinking about how exciting it had been to get most of my magic back.

_I want to find who caused all of this_, I thought grimly, closing my eyes. I wanted to make the person pay.

o o o o o o o o o o o o

I opened my eyes, distracted by the smell of food wafting into the room. Lunch must have arrived.

I rolled over, rubbing my eyes. Merle came into my thoughts almost at once. I had to finish her off. If I got all my magic back, wouldn't that mean my bracelet could put an end to her existence? Anything was possible.

But, an unwanted, nagging thought made its way to the forefront of my mind…What if whoever was behind it was working on something else? What was the motive for all of this anyway?

"Good evening," said Severus, standing in the doorway with folded parchment in his hand.

"Evening?" I repeated. Alarmed, I look at the clock.

6:03pm.

"Oh no," I groaned. I gave my brother an accusing look. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"You were looking a bit peaky," he said simply, "so I thought you had best sleep off the exhaustion from your morning classes, rather than repeat the process in Transfiguration and Charms. You may have broken Flitwick's windows."

I wanted to argue, but, most annoyingly, he made sense.

"After dinner I will go through with you what you missed in those classes," he went on, moving to sit on my bed. "That way you won't be behind and you need only worry about ruining our quarters."

"You're so encouraging," I grumbled. Thinking better of it, I smiled. "Thank you."

"I received an amusing letter after classes today," Severus said, unfolding the parchment he held. "I thought I'd share the contents with you, seeing as they concern you."

I frowned. "Who's it from?"

"Alonso Hewitt," he replied. "Arian Bletchley's cousin."

I scowled. "What can he have to say?"

Severus smirked, looking at the parchment. "He starts by thanking me for visiting his shop recently, but I shan't bore you with the contents of that paragraph. He goes on to comment on the credentials of his cousin, Arian Bletchley, noting the success he is having in his Transfiguration apprenticeship in Lyon. He asks me to consider offering Arian an apprenticeship myself, once he completes his current course."

"What a hide," I said scornfully.

Severus looked at me, amused. "I thought you'd like that."

"Wouldn't he know by now that I refused him?" I asked. "I know we responded only yesterday, but it seems a strange letter to write."

"Indeed it is," he replied. "He may not know of the outcome of Arian's recent correspondence."

I shook my head. "It's like they're negotiating a business deal."

"Arranging pureblood marriages_ is_ often like a business deal, Armilla," Severus said, turning back to the letter. "Now, I also received words of caution from Alonso in regards to you. What follows may divert you immensely."

I looked at him warily.

Severus quoted the paragraph in question. "I have reason for believing that your younger sister, Armilla, whom I believe is under your sole guardianship, has more admirers than she would lead you to believe."

I laughed outright at this. "_Do_ I? Well, there's some news. You're right; I am diverted."

"Oh, it goes on," Severus said, smirking. "My reason for cautioning you is that certain members of my family do not look on one admirer in particular with a friendly eye."

I was confused. "I don't know what he's talking about."

Severus continued. "I understand that you may have strong objections to the match, as the family in question have common connections. The fact that they are pureblood should not deter you from the disgrace such a match may bring to your family."

Now I was really puzzled. "It all sounds a bit serious, Severus."

Severus shook his head. "He's trying to sound the typical, pompous pureblood wizard. It's the last line of the paragraph that drops the biggest hint, if you haven't already worked out the family in question."

I was feeling a little queasy. "Go on."

"Though, if you do have a preference for red-haired nieces and nephews, you may have a reason for rejoicing."

Oh…Merlin, was I uncomfortable now…

"Know any red-haired families?" Severus asked casually, folding the parchment.

"Yes, I do," I said quietly.

Severus actually laughed!

I stared at him, completely confused by his reaction.

"And to think," he said, standing up, "that Arian and Alonso think that the _Weasleys_ are a threat. This is admirable."

"Why is it so amusing?" I asked, trying to sound as indifferent as I could, though I was feeling the opposite on the inside.

"Weasleys wouldn't align themselves with a family with such deep Slytherin roots. They have their own honour to uphold."

"Oh."

Severus walked to the door. "And besides that," he said, turning around. "I cannot imagine you being one of that family."

Trying to hide my inward horror, I gave him a bit of a crooked smile.

"Come," he called, walking down the corridor. "Dinner is on the table."

o o o o o o o o o o o o

A couple of weeks passed and I didn't see Merle at all. This led Severus to believe that whoever was behind it was now contemplating another means of attack.

It wasn't often that I was alone in the castle, so Merle at little chance to see me anyway.

Lisa's mother hadn't asked her to come home yet, but it was getting more and likely that Terry's parents were. They were worried, naturally, as the majority of families were. There wasn't a day that went by that held a good story on the front page of _The Daily Prophet_.

My magic was sorting itself out. It was difficult, but I was getting a new feel for it. I occasionally had moments where it seemed to burst from my wand, though they were minimal now.

I had attended the Apparition lessons, but hadn't joined in the practising. I hadn't looked too out of place, as I'd feared, as several students had come to watch only, on Madam Pomfrey's orders. I did have a small fear inside me that I might splinch myself. Seeing Susan Bones lose her leg and positively terrified me.

Harry had been acting strangely towards me. He seemed to understand that something had been going on with my magic and kept dropping hints that he wanted to know what it was. Also, he hadn't stopped pressing me to tell him what had happened the night he found me in the corridor. He kept watching me during classes, waiting to see what my magic was like. It was unnerving.

As for the letter from Alonso Hewitt, Severus had composed a very short reply, informing him that at the moment, he had no plans for apprenticeships. He had made no comment about the Weasley reference.

Severus hadn't brought the issue up with me since that evening, and I certainly wasn't about to mention it myself. Every time I thought about it, I got such a terrible, unsettled feeling inside me.

Life seemed to carry on as normally as possible until one Saturday morning, the first day of March. I had had an early violin lesson with Flitwick, who was leaving for the weekend to visit his family. I had returned to our empty quarters in the dungeons to put away my violin before heading up to Ravenclaw Tower. Severus and Professor Sprout were doing some work in the greenhouses.

Terry, Lisa and I and most of the other Ravenclaw Sixth years had planned on having breakfast together before practising our Charms work out in the grounds. I was going to meet them in the common room.

It happened when I was about to ascend the last staircase that led to the floor the entrance was on.

One moment I was about to put my foot on the first step, and the next, I had crashed to the floor, unable to move.

Oh Merlin…what the hell had just happened? I felt blood trickle down the side f my face.

My immediate thought was Pansy Parkinson, as this sly sort of magic was the type she so enjoyed.

This thought vanished when I heard another, far more familiar voice. I immediately felt a strange feeling wash over me, one I hadn't felt before.

_It's been a few weeks, Armilla._

In my line of vision, I suddenly saw the ghostly Merle to my left, hovering a few feet above me.

_You've caused me some problems recently, I must say. I've come to collect what you stole._

The strange feeling hadn't stopped. It must have been a new method for draining my magic.

I panicked. I couldn't move! How could I use my bracelet to protect myself? I couldn't aim it at Merle and instruct it to protect me.

Would it listen whilst I was under this curse?

You know this is causing me damage, I mentally told it. Do something!

At first, nothing happened. But before long I saw Merle turn green. The sheen pierced, as before, and the substance came pouring out and she began to scream. It was a strange colour green though, more of a dark green.

This time though, the magic seemed to be confused. The substance did not connect with me like a magnet, as before. It seemed caught in mid-air. An emerald green beam from my bracelet suddenly shot out towards it. A split second later, a black beam shot from where the sheen had been pierced.

Merle's screams only got louder. It seemed too early in the morning for people to be about. I didn't know what else to do. My bracelet seemed caught up in a fight with the ghostly Merle.

It was a blessing that about a minute later I did hear footsteps approach. Merle suddenly vanished and I could move again.

Wincing I sat up. I immediately checked the emerald on my bracelet. Sure enough, the green had faded once more. The strength of my magic had changed once again. I felt the strongest wave of anger I had ever felt pass over me.

Getting up, I spotted Harry and Ron down the other end of the long corridor. I immediately felt dizzy and leaned against the wall. My body ached from where I had hit the floor.

"Armilla!" Harry called.

I groaned. Why did it have to be Harry, of all people, who had to find me once again?

I watched the two of then approach. Ron seemed to be leaping about, and Harry was doing his best to hold onto him.

"Did it happen again?" Harry asked, as they reached me.

"Did what happen?" I said crossly.

"Come on, don't try that one," Harry retorted. "You've got blood on your face."

Damn. I reached up and felt a small wound near my temple.

"Come _on_, Harry!" exclaimed Ron. "Romilda's waiting!"

"Romilda?" I asked, looking from Ron to Harry. "Romilda Vane?"

"Do you know her too?" Ron asked, seeming to only notice then that I was there.

Before I could answer, Harry spoke. "Armilla, what happened?"

"_Drop_ it, Harry," I said, more forcibly. "It's nothing. You look like to have a place to be, so I'll leave you to it."

"No!" Harry said quickly. "Fine, I won't ask then. It's a good thing you're here, actually. Listen, can you go and nick us an antidote for a love potion?"

"A love potion?" I repeated, realisation dawning on me, as I looked from Harry to Ron.

"Yeah," said Harry breathlessly, as he pulled Ron's arm to stop him wandering off again. "We'd really appreciate it."

"And where am I to find such an antidote?"

"Snape's private stores, of course!" Harry said impatiently, looking annoyed.

"As far as I know, he doesn't have one!" I retorted, rubbing my head. "And why would he?"

"For the students stupid enough to ingest a love potion!"

"Well…see Madam Pomfrey then," I said.

"That's where we were going," Harry said gruffly, "but I'd rather avoid it. Too many questions you know."

I stared at him, my frown deepening.

"Chocolate Cauldrons," he said hastily.

"A _Weasleys Wizards Wheezes_ product," I said, nodding. I suddenly felt uncomfortable. I wanted to help them, but I couldn't be sure where Severus was in the school at that moment. If he caught me searching for a love potion antidote for Ron Weasley…I shook my head. I didn't even know how to get into his private stores. I expressed this thought to Harry.

"Come on, Armilla," Harry said, imploringly, struggling to hold on to Ron. "We would really owe you."

"I just told you that I don't even know _how_ to get into his private stores."

"Armilla," said Ron suddenly, grinning inanely at me. "Do you know Romilda Vane? Could you introduce us?"

"What's this then?" said a voice behind me. I turned to see Professor Slughorn walking towards us. We must have looked a strange sight. I was still wiping the trickling blood away from my head, and Ron was virtually jumping out of Harry's grasp, who was doing all he could to hold onto him.

Slughorn came to a halt a few feet from us. "What's happened here?"

"Professor!" Harry said eagerly. "You wouldn't happen to have the antidote to a love potion, would you?"

Slughorn looked bewildered. "A love potion? Who-"

"I'm going to meet Romilda Vane!" Ron said, beaming at him.

"Please, Professor," Harry said earnestly, pulling Ron back once again. "You're an old potions master, surely you have an antidote lying about."

Slughorn looked sceptical as he eye Ron with what could only be described as professional interest. "Was this potion within date?" he asked. "They can strengthen, you know, the longer they're kept."

"That would explain a lot," panted Harry, now positively wrestling with Ron to keep him from escaping down the corridor. "Please Professor," Harry said beseechingly. "It's his birthday and we don't want to go to Madam Pomfrey. Awkward questions, you know. "

Slughorn sighed. "Oh, all right then, follow me, I'll see what I can do."

Harry immediately began to pull Ron towards Slughorn, who had already turned around.

"Thanks anyway," Harry said, as he passed me. "Ron Slughorn's taking us to see Romilda."

Ron immediately stopped struggling. "Really? Excellent! Thanks, Professor!"

"Good luck," I said, taking a step in the opposite direction. "Happy Birthday, Ron."

"No, no, you come too, Armilla," Slughorn called over his shoulder. "That way you can tell me how you came to acquire a knock on the head this early in the morning."

I mentally groaned, reluctantly turning to follow.

"Oh, that was our fault, Professor," said Harry casually. "Ron was in such a rush to get to Romilda that we knocked Armilla over as we came around the corner."

"Wrong place at the wrong time, eh?" said Slughorn, shaking his head. "Not to worry, I can probably give you something for that, Armilla." He looked back at me, smiling. "Unless you prefer the expertise of one of my former top students, Professor Snape?"

I smiled uncomfortably. "I'm sure your supply will be adequate, sir."

We followed Slughorn to his office. I was thankful that it was so early in the morning; there wasn't much chance of being seen at this time on a Saturday.

As Slughorn opened his office door, Ron pushed past him and burst inside, taking a stumbling Harry with him.

Slughorn and I entered the office in time to see Ron trip on a footstool, seizing Harry in the process to regain his balance. "She didn't see that, did she?" he muttered to Harry.

"She's not here yet," Harry responded, as Slughorn opened his potions kit. He added a few things to a crystal bottle.

"That's good," said Ron eagerly. "How do I look?"

"Very handsome," said Slughorn smoothly, handing Ron a glass of clear liquid. "Now drink that up, it's a tonic for the nerves, keep you calm when she arrives, you know."

"Brilliant," said Ron, enthusiastically. He took the glass and gulped the antidote down rather noisily.

We watched him closely. For a moment, Ron just beamed stupidly at us. Gradually though, the grin sagged before vanishing completely, to be replaced by an expression of utmost horror.

"Back to normal, then?" said Harry, grinning, relief washing over him. "Thanks a lot, Professor."

Slughorn chuckled. "Don't mention it, m'boy, don't mention it," he said, as Ron collapsed into a nearby armchair, looking devastated.

"Now then," Slughorn said, turning to me. "I think I have something for you." He poured a couple of drops of a familiar potion onto a cloth and held it out to me. "I'm sure you know what to do."

Gratefully I took it and held it to the cut, which healed within a few seconds. "Thanks, Professor," I said, as he took the cloth from me. "Not seriously injured then?" he said, smiling.

"No, sir."

"Good, good. Excellent." He looked over at Ron, who was gazing rather dejectedly at the floor. "Pick-me-up, that's what he needs. Slughorn moved over to a table loaded with drinks. "I've got Butterbeer, I've got wine, I've got one last bottle of this oak-matured mead…hmm…meant to give that to Dumbledore for Christmas…ah well…" he shrugged "…he can't miss what he's never had! Why don't we open it now and celebrate Mr Weasley's birthday? Nothing like a fine spirit to chase away the pangs of disappointed love…"

Slughorn laughed again, and Harry joined in, rather too enthusiastically in my opinion. Perhaps he was just relieved that they hadn't had to go to Madam Pomfrey for the antidote.

"There you are then," said Slughorn, handing each of us a glass of mead, before raising his own. "Well, a very happy birthday, Ralph-"

"-Ron-" whispered Harry.

I had to hide my smile. Ron had not been listening and had already gulped down the contents of the glass.

My smile suddenly vanished, only to be replaced by fear. Harry, it seemed, had also realised that something was very wrong. Slughorn, on the other hand, had no idea at all.

"-and may you have many more-"

"Ron!" Harry and I exclaimed together.

Ron had dropped his glass; he half-rose from his chair and then crumpled, his extremities jerking uncontrollably. Foam was dribbling from his mouth and his eyes were bulging from their sockets.

"Professor!" Harry bellowed, as I started rummaging through Slughorn's ingredients. "Do something!"

"You must have one," I murmured to myself, my heart pounding. "Where is it?"

Slughorn seemed paralysed in his shock. I glanced over at Ron, who was twitching and making choking noises: his skin was turning blue.

"What – but –" spluttered Slughorn.

"Bezoar!" Harry yelled suddenly, jumping over a low table to join me in my hunt.

"_Obviously_…Gryffindor…" I muttered, throwing things aside. "Ah ha!" I seized the shrivelled kidney-like stone and all but threw it into Harry's hand.

Harry hurtled back to Ron's side, wrenched open his jaw and thrust the bezoar into his mouth. Ron gave a great shudder, a rattling gasp and then his body became limp and still.

o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Dialogue from the last scene were borrowed from Half-Blood Prince, thanks to JK Rowling.

Yes, yes, still here. Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review. Thanks to those who showed patience in their messages to me. I realise it's been a long time. I started this chapter a fortnight ago and have been writing as much as possible often ever since. In April, my computer crashed and I lost the first few scenes of this chapter, which was devastating, as I'd started it in January and couldn't remember the exact details in April. Grr. If not for the computer problems, you would have had a new chapter far earlier.

This chapter had to be divided in two. I have already written more than half of the next chapter. It had to be split because it was getting too long and I had already started scenes that were to be in the following chapter anyway.

Thanks to delacre once again, and to Michelle132, for showing such great encouragement – your kind words are definitely a major factor in pushing me to write when the spare time and inspiration _does_ come along!

Happy Deathly Hallows Part 2 Watching! I have my Gold Class tickets! I was devastated for days after THAT scene in the book, so I'm not quite looking forward to that part on Wednesday.


	33. No Time Like The Present

**Chapter 33**

"Well, that's enough drama for one morning," said McGonagall dryly, as Severus, Harry and I left Dumbledore's office.

It had been a long morning; Slughorn had run off for help, McGonagall and Pomfrey had shown up and together they had brought Ron to the hospital wing. Severus had shown up in the hospital wing not long after that. More than likely, Slughorn had alerted him as well.

Ron was going to be okay, but he would have to stay in the hospital wing for at least a week, taking Essence of Rue.

"Mr Weasley was very lucky that the two of you thought so quickly," said McGonagall, as we moved on the revolving staircase. "I daresay Professor Slughorn too was grateful for your actions." She sniffed disdainfully. "At least he alerted us to the situation." She shook her head. "But what a birthday for Mr Weasley!"

"All started by a love potion," Severus scoffed.

"He didn't _know_, Professor," Harry said, looking irritably at Severus.

"Yes, Potter," Severus said snidely, "they were _your_ cakes."

"I wasn't going to eat them-"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Then why not throw them away?"

"Not that I would normally get in the way of a good bickering session between the two of you," said McGonagall tersely, as we reached the stone gargoyle, "but I do believe we have the House points to talk of."

"You can't take points!" Harry exclaimed. "Professor! We didn't _make _the love potion-"

"Potter!" McGonagall snapped. "I wasn't talking of taking points, though I assure you I'm well within my rights to if I feel so inclined."

Harry had the grace to look abashed. "Right…er…sorry, Professor."

Severus rolled his eyes, while McGonagall pursed her lips. "As the Headmaster stated, in a situation that certainly required quick thinking, the two of you acted admirably. Mr Weasley could have lost his life today, as you well know." She turned to Severus. "What do you think, Professor Snape, fifty points apiece?"

He nodded his assent, offering no comment.

"Well then," said McGonagall brightly, "fifty points to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor it is!"

Our murmurs of thanks were drowned out by the thunder of footsteps down the corridor.

"Professor!"

We turned to see Hermione and Ginny running full pelt towards us, with Lavender Brown not far behind.

"What's this about Ron?" Ginny exclaimed, looking from Harry to McGonagall.

"Is it true? Is he on his deathbed?" Lavender asked, her eyes wide.

"_No_," Harry and I said together, both of us unable to keep the derision from our voices.

"Do you _need _to be so dramatic?" Hermione snapped, her eyes flashing at Lavender.

Lavender put her hands on her hips. "Do_ you_ need-"

"-I think it's time for biscuits in my office," said McGonagall crisply. She looked at Severus. "Care to join us?"

"Definitely not," he said, his lip curling as he looked at the Gryffindors in front of him. "We'll leave you to it, I think."

"Thanks, Armilla," Harry said quietly. "For finding the bezoar."

I smiled back, before turning to follow Severus, who had already began walking back towards the dungeons.

"Bezoar?" I heard Hermione and Ginny say in unison, surprise in their voices.

"Let us get settled in my office first," McGonagall told them firmly, as they headed in the opposite direction.

"I too am proud of your quick thinking," Severus said quietly, as we made our way towards the marble staircase.

"It was the only thing I could think of," I said. "I wasn't sure if it would even work."

"Well, it certainly made all the difference. It's a good thing you and Potter were there, seeing as Slughorn proved himself incompetent."

"Was that a compliment to Harry?" I asked, smiling at him. I shook my head. "And he wasn't even here to hear it."

"No, it wasn't," he said smoothly, "and I was implying that Slughorn slightly outdoes him in the incompetency category."

"Of course."

We were silent until we were back in our quarters.

"Now, how did you come to be there at that time of the morning anyway?" Severus asked, closing the door. "Bit early for a morning's jaunt around the castle, wasn't it?"

I shrugged. "Not really."

"Armilla." He gave me a meaningful look.

"I had just dropped off my violin and was about to meet the other Ravenclaws," I said dismissively, sitting down on the sofa. "I didn't seek her out on purpose, though I suppose since the corridors are generally deserted at that time of the morning it gave me a good chance of meeting her."

Severus was frowning. "I don't like-"

"Before you say anything," I interrupted, "you _did_ say that I could be alone again in the castle. Aiming my bracelet's emerald at her _does_ work. It's strengthening my magic."

"Yes, I don't doubt that," he said, looking impatient. "I know it's important that your magical strength is returned to you…it's just the potential danger I don't like. We still don't know what it is."

"I can handle it." I wasn't overly sure of that lately. It seemed to have become routine to see Merle, reclaim what magic I could, and then get stupefied. Wanting to distract Severus, I changed the subject.

"Who do you think poisoned the mead?" I asked, as Severus conjured a tea tray.

"Could be a multitude of people," he said shortly. "Slughorn did say that he had intended to give it to the Headmaster at Christmas."

"Draco Malfoy," I said quietly.

Severus looked at me sharply. "Why do you say that?"

I shrugged. "He was still here back then. It seems the sort of thing he'd do. He was doing all sorts of strange things he was trying to hide." I thought grimly about losing my memory because of it.

Severus narrowed his eyes as he looked away. "Well, …don't express your thoughts on this to anyone else."

"Of course not," I replied, taking the cup he offered me.

We were silent for a few moments as each of us drank our tea.

"Severus," I said quietly, staring into my cup.

"Mm?"

"Is Dumbledore's hand going to get better?"

There was a pause as Severus met my eye. "No."

I nodded. I had tried not to stare whilst we had been in the headmaster's office, but the blackened, shriveled hand was just so disturbing.

"Will it get worse?"

Severus gave a curt nod. "Over time."

I stared back at him. "Is he going to die?"

Now, Severus looked away, putting his cup down. "Armilla-"

"It's a simple question," I pointed out, putting my own cup down. "How are we supposed to win the war without him?"

Severus looked back at me again. He didn't say anything for a moment. When he did speak, I could detect a tone of bitterness in his voice. "I daresay Dumbledore has planned everything, as only he can."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Enough questions," he said gruffly, standing up. "Come, let's test your magic again. I'd like to see how erratic it's become after this morning's episode."

"Ever the optimist," I muttered, taking out my wand as I stood up."

Severus glared at me. "Ever the _realist_, you mean."

o o o o o o o o o o

My magic had proved to be a little erratic, but as I had assured Severus several times, it was nothing I couldn't handle. True, the sudden immobilization when Merle appeared was going to be a larger obstacle, but my bracelet had come to my aid.

Nothing was going to stop me getting my magic back; of _that_, I was certain.

When I came out of the bathroom after showering that evening, I heard voices out in the sitting room. Dumbledore's voice was immediately recognisable. I supposed he had just come down to fill my brother in on the latest theory of the poisoned mead. I heard Severus call for me a moment later, and I went out to find the two of them seated at the dining table, drinking tea.

"Hello again, Armilla," Dumbledore greeted me, his blue eyes twinkling. "Eventful day it would seem."

"Yes," I replied. "Do you know where the poisoned mead came from?"

"I cannot confirm anything," he answered, looking pensive. "It was a gift intended for _me_, after all." He smiled. "I do have so many people at the moment who would like to see my demise."

"You say that with such pride," my brother drawled.

This time Dumbledore chuckled. "I daresay that's the best way to face it."

Severus merely shook his head.

"Armilla, why don't you go on up to the hospital wing," said Dumbledore. "The Weasleys are up there and are rather desirous of seeing you."

"Really?" I wondered which Weasleys were up there. Mr and Mrs Weasley of course. Fancy receiving the news on Ron's birthday that he was lucky to have survived the day.

"Don't look so surprised, Armilla," Dumbledore said, picking up his teacup. "I just came from speaking with Mr and Mrs Weasley and they were very thankful that you and Harry had been there."

"Naturally," said Severus quietly.

"I'll go up now then," I said.

"Don't be down too late," Severus called as I went to the door.

"I won't be long," I relied, opening the door.

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

I was met by a crowd of people when I entered the usually quiet hospital wing. I couldn't see Ron at all. A large group were gathered at his bedside, most of them with flaming red hair.

"Armilla!" Mrs Weasley cried when she saw me. She rushed forward and grasped my hands. "I cannot tell you how thankful I am that you helped save my Ron." She planted a kiss on my cheek. "Harry told us it was you who started searching for that bezoar." She hugged me so tightly, I couldn't breathe.

"She's going to turn blue in a moment, Mum," said George, who was suddenly at me side. "Honestly, let her breathe."

Mrs Weasley laughed as she let go.

"Thank you, Armilla," said Mr Weasley, reaching forward to shake my hand. "We are grateful for the quick thinking both you and Harry showed."

"Snape must be so proud," Fred said cheerfully, grinning at me. "He would always celebrate any Gryffindor heroics."

"Fred!" Mrs Weasley snapped, whipping around to glare at him.

Fred held his hands up. "Only joking, Mum."

"Of course he is," I replied, smirking at him. "Ravenclaw heroics are far more celebrated."

"That's a brave statement," laughed Harry, who was standing at the foot of Ron's bed. "You're surrounded by Gryffindors."

I smiled, shrugging. "So how is he?" I asked, nodding at Ron.

"He'll live," said Hermione, who was sitting at Ron's bedside. She patted his hand.

I didn't know if it was a coincidence, but Ron mumbled in his sleep as Hermione spoke.

"We'll be back soon, dears," said Mrs Weasley, picking up her large handbag. "Your father and I are going to see Professor McGonagall. Keep Ron company until we come back."

"Wild hippogriffs couldn't chase us out," Fred told her.

"Except Madam Pomfrey," said Ginny, who was sitting next to Hermione.

We watched as Mr and Mrs Weasley left the room.

"Blimey, it was lucky you two thought of a bezoar," said George in a low voice, his eyes on Ron.

"Lucky there was one in the room," said Harry, looking unsettled as he too looked at Ron.

"Any theories, Armilla?" Fred asked.

I shook my head. I wasn't about to share my thoughts on Draco Malfoy. Besides, he was currently residing in a place guarded by the Order, apparently caring for a two-year-old girl. I shuddered at the thought.

"No," I said quietly. "That poisoned mead could have come from anywhere."

"What about Slughorn?" Fred suggested, looking over at Harry. "Would he have had a chance to slip it in?"

"Probably," Harry replied, though he looked doubtful.

"Why would Slughorn want to poison Ron?" I asked.

"I dunno," said Fred. "Maybe he mixed up the glasses by mistake. Maybe he intended the poisoned mead for Harry? I mean, heaps of people might want to poison you, Harry, what with being the 'Chosen One' and all that?"

"I can't imagine Slughorn being a Death Eater," said Ginny.

"Anything's possible," said Fred darkly.

"I suppose he could have been under the Imperious Curse," said George.

"Or he could be innocent," said Ginny. "The poison could have been in the bottle, in which case it was probably meant for Slughorn himself."

I frowned. "Who'd want to kill Slughorn?"

"Dumbledore reckons Voldemort wanted Slughorn on his side," said Harry. "Slughorn was in hiding for a year before he came to Hogwarts. And," Harry paused, "and maybe Voldemort wants him out of the way, maybe he thinks he could be valuable to Dumbledore."

"But you said Slughorn had been planning to give that bottle to Dumbledore for Christmas," Ginny reminded him. "So the poisoner could just have easily have been after Dumbledore."

"Then the poisoner didn't know Slughorn very well," said Hermione thickly, sniffling. "Anyone who knew Slughorn would have known there was a good chance he'd keep something that tasty for himself."

"Er-my-nee," croaked Ron, rather unexpectedly.

We all stared anxiously at him, but, after muttering incomprehensively for a moment, he merely started snoring. Hermione gazed at him with a watery smile.

"I better head back," I said.

"Not alone?" Harry said, giving me a look that clearly said he didn't approve, seeing as he'd caught me a couple of times now in unexplainable predicaments.

"Why can't she be alone?" Ginny and Hermione asked at the same time.

All eyes turned to Harry.

"Er…Slytherins," he said shortly. "Anyone heading back into Slytherin territory shouldn't go alone."

Fred laughed. "As if they'd do anything to Snape's sister."

"And she's capable of defending herself, as you well know, Harry," said Hermione, grinning. "She really got you in our last defence lesson."

"A witch beat you, Harry?" Ginny asked, grinning at him.

Harry blushed as he looked over at Ginny. "Something like that," he mumbled. He looked over at me again. "I'm just saying that travelling in twos is a good idea."

"I'll walk you back," George offered.

I nodded my thanks. It was unnecessary…yet somehow so necessary at the same time.

George followed me out of the hospital wing. We walked in silence until we had placed several corridors between us and the hospital wing. The silence did nothing to settle my stomach, which had a strange feeling. Had I eaten something off at dinner?

"So how's Bletchley?" George asked, a little too cheerfully.

"Your overly conversational tone is not subtle, you know," I replied.

"No?"

I shook my head. "No."

"You didn't answer my question," he said pointedly.

I sighed. "I wouldn't know how Bletchley is."

George looked over at me. "Really?"

"Really."

"Ah…" He suddenly looked a bit ill.

"You're more likely to know of him than me," I said casually, filling the silence. "You do work near his cousin, after all."

George wrinkled his nose. "Alonso. Fred and I still don't trust the bloke. As for _Bletchley_…"

He stopped walking suddenly and turned to face me, his face uncharacteristically serious.

I stopped too, put off by his expression.

"I…er…had a visit from him." George looked ill again.

I frowned. "You had a visit from Arian Bletchley? Whatever for?"

"He came to…_express his displeasure_ of my apparent friendship with you."

This was all very confusing.

"_Apparent _friendship?" I repeated. "I thought we were friends."

"We are," he said quickly.

"What's it to Bletchley?" I said crossly. Honestly, what business was it of Arian Bletchely's?

George looked uncomfortable, which again disconcerted me. "I got the impression that you had recently…disappointed Bletchley."

I folded my arms. "Oh."

George didn't blink. "Did you?"

I nodded. "Yes, I did. He even thought it advisable to ask for Severus' permission."

That did it. The seriousness on George's face vanished and a split second later he was doubled over with laughter.

"It's not_ that_ funny," I commented, as he tried to straighten his face. "And you're not tell Fred about it."

"Wizard's Oath, I certainly won't," he said, nodding, still trying not to smile.

"So why is your friendship with me so offensive to him then?" I asked, as we began walking again.

George didn't answer at first. We had walked several more steps before he replied.

"He's jealous," he said simply.

The feeling in my stomach seemed to be growing stronger again. "Oh." Now it was my turn to deliberate before answering.

"And what did you tell him?"

George didn't hesitate this time. "I told him he had no reason to be, and then told him to mind his own business…in the most eloquent terms, of course."

"Oh." A heavy, unwanted feeling settled somewhere in my chest.

"That's all he needed to know, I thought," George went on, giving me a sideways glance.

I had nothing to say to that; I was thoroughly baffled by the conversation now.

George suddenly stopped again and faced me. "Armilla."

I stopped again and looked at him.

"You must know that…" he paused, looking nervous. "I'm not terribly good at this sort of thing, but Fred's not to know that."

I smiled.

He tried again, his face turning pink. "I…er…like you…very, very much, it would seem. I always have…"

The heavy feeling in my chest suddenly plummeted to my stomach.

"And…I hope the feeling is mutual because otherwise I'm going to look a bigger fool than Gilderoy Lockhart in his hair curlers."

I laughed, unable to stop the image of Lockhart invading my mind.

George looked relieved that I'd laughed, but didn't allow himself to smile.

I smiled instead. "Of course, it's mutual."

George stared, blinked and then covered his face with both hands as he let out a thankful laugh. "Thank Merlin," he whispered.

We turned and continued our walk to the dungeons. I was feeling both relaxed and on edge at the same time, if that was possible.

When we had descended the dungeons stairs, George suddenly took out his wand and waved it around us.

"What-"

"Notice-Me-Not," he said simply, pocketing his wand again. He smiled, holding out his hand. "I'm exceptionally good at any sort of charm where I need to hide."

Smiling back, I took his hand and immediately appreciated the warmth I felt when he squeezed it.

"Hide is right," I said quietly. "It could cause complications."

"With You-Know-Who or your brother?" George asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Both, I suppose," I said softly. "But anyone who doesn't agree with the Dark Lord is at risk."

We reached the corner where our quarters were located.

"I may not see you for a while," said George, looking a little uncomfortable. "You'll write?"

"Of course," I assured him.

"Maybe I'll find a way so that you're not constantly sending owls," he said, looking thoughtful. "We need to be diligent in regards to this."

I stared at him.

"What?"

"You…sounded so Ravenclaw just then."

He shrugged. "Well…" he stared at me. "Here's something a little more Gryffindor. We're in Slytherin territory, so…"

I wasn't sure if it had only taken a split second for him to make the decision, but suddenly George was kissing me. I couldn't be certain how much time passed before we broke apart; it could have been seconds, or perhaps minutes.

All I knew was that I was happy.

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N This was just a little 'chapterette' to tide you over until I get time to put a longer one out, hopefully with more happening. I hope the ending met with your satisfaction! The next couple of chapters will contain the resolution to major plot points, since I am reaching the end of Armilla II. The real drama is coming up!

For anyone on Pottermore, I was lucky enough to get in early. If you are also on, my username in FelicisUnicorn27. If you'd like to friend me, send me a PM through FFnet as well so I know who you are. I am in Hufflepuff, which I am still learning to deal with, as it was rather unexpected actually.

Some dialogue has been borrowed by Half Blood Prince.


	34. Magical YoYo

**Chapter 34**

Whispering a goodbye to each other, George and I departed at the base of the dungeon stairs. I was happy to walk the rest of the way on my own. I needed time to think.

My stomach seemed to have relocated itself much further north and my legs felt like jelly. Was it supposed to be like this after you had kissed someone for the first time? I wasn't sure and I had no one to ask. Merle and I had never really discussed such matters and I would not dream of asking Severus for his opinion on the subject.

My feelings for George had come about so gradually that I had hardly known that they were there initially. The twins had always been fellow students who'd I run into occasionally in the corridors. They'd make a joke and we'd be on our way. Something had been different since fifth year though…and I'd taken a long time to realise that it had even been there.

The time it took to walk the rest of the way though was clearly not sufficient, as when I had closed the door to our quarters, my head still felt like it was stuck somewhere in the clouds. It was both highly pleasant and unsettling at the same time.

It appeared that Dumbledore had already left. Severus was sitting at the table, rifling through a pile of parchment that I guessed to be homework. He looked up briefly when I entered.

"Fall all over you with gratitude?"

"No," I said vacantly, my mind back in that dungeon corridor. I walked through the room, heading for my bedroom.

"Was every last Weasley there?" Severus asked, picking up his quill.

I stopped short. "…Most of them…not Bill or Charlie. Just Mr and Mrs Weasley and…Fred and…"

"Ah, the thriving merchants."

"Of course," I said, frowning. "It's their brother, after all, and it hasn't been a good birthday for him."

Severus looked up at that. "I wasn't judging them, Armilla, far from it. As ridiculous as most of the content of their shop is, they_ have_ managed to be successful."

"And useful," I added, thinking of the Knockout Powder that had come in so handy the year before when I'd been trapped with Father and Rougier.

"And useful," he agreed, crossing out something in the first line of someone's homework, "but that's not to say I condoned their Gryffindor antics when they were here at school."

I made no reply, lost in thought.

"The twins had better not make it known to Alonso Hewitt that they were here this evening," said Severus suddenly, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Why not?"

"Because it would be like them to drop hints that they were here if they know of Arian Bletchley's desire to court you. I don't want to receive any more correspondence from Alonso or Arian."

"George-" I stopped myself. I had been about to say that George _did_ know.

Severus looked up again. "Yes?"

"Well…Alonso and Arian should mind their own business."

"Of course they should," he said indifferently, looking down at the homework again, "but it does not mean they will."

I sighed. "They shouldn't make things difficult."

Severus looked surprised. "Make _what_ difficult? Armilla, Alonso only sent that letter to because of the jealously Arian felt when you were talking to George Weasley. I know he was acting in Arian's interest by pointing out that a Weasley connection would be an ineligible match. Their imaginings that led to that letter are just that, stuff of fiction."

Only it _wasn't_. Severus had laughed at the thought of it only a few weeks earlier. He had said that a family like the Weasleys wouldn't align themselves with a family like ours, which had so many dark links.

I was worried about what Severus would think about George, but I hadn't even considered what the rest of the Weasleys would think, especially Mr and Mrs Weasley. Were they open-minded and trusting enough to accept it?

"Armilla," Severus said quietly, putting his quill down. "You are quite distracted."

"Am I?" I now _felt _distracted. Why were things so complicated? Of _course_ things were going to be complicated, Severus had pointed it out to me once before that dating would cause problems. It certainly wasn't knowledge I'd appreciate the Death Eater community knowing.

Severus was giving me a shrewd look. "Is there anything you need to discuss?"

_Yes!_ …No…I paused, deliberating. "No, not really," I said finally. "I think I'll go to bed," I added hurriedly, when it looked like Severus had more to say. "Goodnight."

I heard his soft goodnight in response as I went to my bedroom as quickly as I could without looking like I had a bludger behind me.

o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Ginny ended up being something of a saving grave in the following few weeks for George and I. Until we could think up a proper means of communication without it falling into the wrong hands, Ginny was to be our go-between.

The truth was, I did have an idea for a means of communication, but it was something I would need to ask Severus how to do and that meant actually telling him about our relationship. That was something I was not quite ready to do. I felt queasy every time I thought about it…or maybe it was guilt.

My idea was to use a chocolate frog card, just like Severus and I did. I had a few inklings on how to do the charm, but Severus had extra means of security on it, some of them his own, exclusive brands of magic. It would be respectful to him to try and recreate it myself, only to tell him I did it months later. It just wouldn't be fair.

As it was, Ginny knew of the relationship, courtesy of George himself. George had told me back in the dungeon corridor and he trusted Ginny with his life. It wasn't easy for Ginny to give any notes to me, or for me to give mine to her, so George and I were only communicating about once a week or so. Even then, our notes were disguised in Weasleys Wizard Wheezes order forms, complete with hints for passwords only we'd know. It was all rather difficult, but well worth it.

_If you think this is difficult now_, George had written, _you had better have some Pepper Up handy once others know about it – and for different reasons, of course – my mother will smother you with letters trying to get you to convince me to get a proper job. She'll bribe you with fudge and hand-knitted jumpers. Just try to resist. Xoxo._

After the latest Gryffindor quidditch match, in which Gryffindor had lost to spectacularly to Hufflepuff, due to McClaggen cracking Harry's skull, Dean had been jealous of the attention Ginny had given to Harry. She had spent most of her time in the hospital wing until Madam Pomfrey had shooed her out.

It had quickly spread around Gryffindor Tower, and consequently the rest of the school, that Ginny and Dean had broken up after a big quarrel in the common room. The result was, only weeks later, Harry and Ginny were now in a relationship. This seemed to annoy Ruby Parkes intensely.

Ruby had taking to taunting me about Harry. Ever since she had found us in a deserted corridor together, she had made her mind up that there was something between us. She kept making pointed remarks, especially when Harry and I worked together in Defence, which, of course, was Slughorn's doing. Personally, I wished Ruby would get sent home. She had already gone home once before, but had come back again.

Merle was being troublesome still. I met her several times a week. Sometimes when we met, I'd be the victor, successfully using the emerald on my bracelet to regain large amounts of my magical strength, and other times I was being randomly stupefied and suffered the loss once more. Each time this happened I fought to maintain focus in order to have my emerald defend me.

Thankfully, each time it happened, someone would appear before long, as Merle's screams echoed through the halls. It was becoming common knowledge that Moaning Myrtle was the cause. I felt bad in using her as the excuse. Lisa had encouraged the rumour by saying that even she was occasionally followed by a screaming Myrtle. Only Ruby didn't seem to believe us.

One day in late March, something happened that would have made Ruby more confident about Harry and I. I met him in the corridor once again after seeing Merle. It was late in the evening, just before curfew on a Monday night. I was going down to the dungeons to stay, since I had a few questions for Severus about my homework. I had arranged it with him via my chocolate frog card. Why Harry was out and about by himself was anyone's guess.

I had been knocked down once again and had struggled to focus on using my bracelet on Merle to stop her draining any more magic. It seemed this type of dark magic confused the bracelet. Merle's screams, as well as the ghostly Merle herself, had disappeared at the sound of footsteps.

When I saw that it was Harry, I quickly pulled myself into a sitting position.

"We can't keep meeting like this," Harry said, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. He smiled. "Want a hand?"

"No," I said shortly, getting up. "I'm fine."

"Of course you are," he said indifferently. "You're accustomed to this, it seems."

"Harry…" I ground out, glaring at him.

"Shut up?" he suggested.

"Yes."

He smiled at me. "Moaning Myrtle indeed. I've heard that rumour. Been following random Ravenclaws? Haven't people found it strange to find you on the floor?"

"I've been quick enough to get up," I snapped. I sighed. "Sorry."

"So, are you alright?"

"Yes, I just _said_ I was fine," I huffed, brushing the dust of my robes.

"Yeah, but I didn't believe you."

"Then why ask?" I straightened up and began walking down the corridor, continuing in the direction of the dungeons.

Harry fell into step beside me. He took out his wand and cast a silencing bubble around us. "So what does Snape think about all this?"

"_Harry_," I said, feeling annoyed.

"Well, it's just that this seems the sort of thing you'd have to tell someone about." He gave me a knowing look.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Somehow, I don't imagine_ you_ as the sort of person who immediately seeks the advice of an adult whenever you're in a quandary."

He gave a short laugh. "No…not always, but that's beside the point. _You_ are the one in some kind of quandary."

"It's no big deal," I said, shrugging.

"No big deal?" he repeated.

"That's right."

"I seem to remember someone telling Snape about that potions textbook," Harry said, giving me a dour look. "The one I though had belonged to my dad."

I gave him a cross look. "You _know_ I had no choice."

He shrugged. "I've found you twice before now on the floor in random places around the castle."

I glared at him. "Are you following me then?"

He laughed. "No, of course not."

I shook my head. "Then why are you wandering the castle at night?"

He glanced sideways at me. "I've had some sessions with Dumbledore. Nothing I can speak about."

"Oh."

Harry was persistent. "How many other times has this happened to you?"

"It's not your business," I snapped, getting impatient.

"Well, you might be ill or something!" he retorted, getting angry himself. "Either that, or someone is doing something to you."

I said nothing.

"And you keep having those moments of uncontrolled magic when we're practising in defence," he reminded me, giving me a knowing look. "Something is happening."

"Even if there was," I said irritably, "what's it to _you_?"

He shrugged. "I don't know…" He sighed. "You were…helpful…during the summer with Snape. Maybe your presence made him more bearable in the end."

"I thought the two of you had reached some sort of understanding."

He paused, and then nodded slowly. "Well, that too, but I think it had something to do with you. He would never have let me into his potions class before last summer."

"I thought you're taking his NEWT class on strict conditions."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I am, but I think he would never have even considered letting me in it if it hadn't been for you."

I gave a bitter laugh. "Oh, so you're grateful for my presence then, as Severus is a little more tolerable towards you."

He grinned. "Something like that. Also, you _are_ a nice person."

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Good thing you threw in that last comment for good measure."

"You're trying to change the subject." Harry stared at me for a moment, as if trying to determine his next course of action. "Armilla, something _is_ going on."

I sighed. "Look, Severus already knows something about it."

He narrowed his eyes. "What, he knows a_ little_ about it? Snape may be a git to the rest of us, but he wouldn't allow you to be collapsing in random places around the school."

"I haven't been collapsing," I snapped, as we reached the top of the marble staircase. "Don't exaggerate."

"Fine, then," he said, looking equally annoyed. "But you had better not keep turning up in random places around the school."

"Don't venture out at all then," I replied, giving him a mocking smile, "and then we won't keep meeting like this."

"How lovely to find the two of you together," came a sickly sweet voice.

Harry and I spun around to find Ruby behind us. "You two should really go public."

"With _what _exactly?" Harry asked her. "An announcement that we had a conversation in the corridor. Not entirely newsworthy gossip, is it?"

Ruby folded her arms. "Oh, I think it's a_ little_ more than that. It's happened more than once, after all. Poor Ginny."

I stared at her. "What's your problem, Ruby? You never seemed to be so hung up before on following people around and matchmaking. That's Pansy Parkinson's domain."

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Don't compare me to _her_!"

"Then go and find something useful to do," Harry snapped, as we heard a door open in the Great Hall.

"I suggest all three of you find something useful to do," came Professor McGonagall's voice. We all looked down towards the open door of a chamber off the Great Hall.

McGonagall came out, carrying a couple of books, followed by the other Heads of House. As all were carrying parchment or books; they'd clearly been having a meeting.

Professor Flitwick and Severus looked equally displeased when they saw the three of us at the top of the stairs. Professor Sprout bid them goodnight and headed off in the direction of the door that led to the kitchens and Hufflepuff domain.

The other three teachers made their way up the stairs towards us.

"What's this about, Potter?" McGonagall asked, when they had reached us.

"Nothing much, Professor," Harry answered, looking flushed.

"It is nearly curfew," said Professor Flitwick. "Why are the three of you not in your common rooms?"

"I was with Dumbledore," said Harry.

"And you were taking the scenic route back to Gryffindor Tower?" Professor McGonagall asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, Professor," Harry replied, meeting her eye.

"You're a terrible liar, Potter," said Severus, looking disdainfully at Harry, who looked back at him without much reaction. Clearly, they had been making progress in Harry's lessons with him.

"And the two of you?" Professor Flitwick asked, looking at Ruby and I. "You're both a long way from Ravenclaw Tower."

"I was going to the dungeons," I said quietly, looking from Flitwick to Severus.

Severus inclined his head. "She had arranged it with me," he told my Head of House.

Professor Flitwick nodded, before looking at Ruby. "And you, Miss Parkes?"

"I was in the library," she said curtly. "I came across Armilla and Harry meeting in the corridor and I did wonder at it."

"We didn't meet in the corridor!" Harry snapped at her. "We both happened to be in the same corridor at the same time."

"I would thank you not to make assumptions, Miss Parkes," said McGonagall, looking sternly at Ruby. "Creating gossip is not fair."

"Indeed it is not," said Severus, narrowing his eyes at Ruby. "If I hear of you making trouble, Miss Parkes, I will find things for you to do to be kept busy."

Ruby did not look in the least perturbed by this. She looked evenly back at Severus. "Of course, sir," she said politely.

"Back to your commons before curfew," said Flitwick to Harry and Ruby. "Hurry up, now."

"Goodnight," said Severus, nodding at Flitwick and McGonagall.

I followed him down the marble staircase and then down the dungeon stairs. We were silent all the way to our rooms.

"Not one of your better decisions, Armilla," said Severus, as soon as he had closed the door behind us.

"What decision?" I asked indignantly. "I didn't make the decision that Ruby seemed to be implying. I was held up when I saw Merle on the way down here and Harry happened to come along just after. There's nothing in it."

Severus looked annoyed all the same. "We don't need rumours about you and Potter spreading throughout the school. _I _don't need that. It could put_ you_ in so much danger, especially if the Dark Lord hears of it."

"I know that!" I exclaimed. "It wouldn't have happened if Merle hadn't stopped me!"

"Then I could have escorted you from Ravenclaw Tower if you had wanted to come down!" Severus snapped. "Or used the chocolate frog card to transport you down here, as we've done before. There are other ways, Armilla. It's enough that you have to work with Potter during Defence classes. Slughorn won't budge on that one."

"But I _need_ to see Merle," I argued. I could see Severus' point, but I needed to get all my magic back. How was I to know that Harry would be about?

"What you _need_," said Severus sharply, "is to _not_ be seen with Potter again!"

I looked away. The thought of the Dark Lord thinking that Harry and I were in a relationship was too awful to ponder, not to mention the problem it would create for Severus. "Okay," I said after a moment. "I'll try not to."

"Good," Severus said heavily, before sitting down on the sofa. "Bring me your homework."

I hesitated for a moment, before going into my bedroom and retrieving my books from the armoire, which was connected to my wardrobe in my dormitory.

I joined my brother on the sofa a coupleof minutes later. "I only had a few questions about Arithmancy and Defence," I said quietly.

Severus sighed. "Armilla, you do realise the concern I have about you and Potter being seen together?"

"Of course I do," I replied, opening my book.

Severus was silent for a moment. "Am I to conclude that since you have been working more with Potter this year, the two of you have become friends?"

I thought for a moment. I supposed we _had_. We were definitely more than mere acquaintances now.

"You wouldn't like it if we _were_," I said, meeting Severus' eye. "But sometimes you cannot help getting along with someone when you have to work in class with them."

Severus didn't look as angry as I would have expected. Instead, he looked thoughtful. "I thought this would happen through your friendship with Miss Granger and I didn't like _that _from the beginning."

"Hermione and I only ever talk during our classes. And she had nothing to do with Harry and I being friends. You know that Harry wouldn't openly acknowledge any friendship anyway."

Severus sneered. "Because he'd be _above_ such a thing? A _Potter _wouldn't associate with you?"

"No," I said coolly. "He's too loyal. He knows it would complicate things. He was just as mad as I was about Ruby. Surely you could see that."

Severus shook his head. "He's far more concerned that it could complicate his new relationship with Miss Weasley. You'll be lucky if Miss Weasley doesn't say anything to you if Miss Parkes' gossip gets back to her."

"Ginny won't say anything," I said, surprised. "She knows that-" I stopped short.

Severus raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "She knows _what_ exactly?"

_Damn_. I thought quickly. "She knows that I would never date Harry Potter."

Severus stared at me, clearly thinking about something.

"Shall we look at my homework?" I suggested, pulling my book towards me again. "There's a hex I want to ask you about."

Severus nodded, looking a little distracted. "Yes, go on."

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

"There's definitely something wrong with you, you know," Harry whispered in my ear and we packed up our books. The bell had just rung to signal the end of our last Defence class before Easter break. I had seen Merle four times over the last week, the latest being that morning, and even now I had to admit, I was close to crumbling.

I was getting harder to disguise my occasionally erratic magic in class. The problem was, it could happen so unexpectedly and I would feel so drained afterwards. Since Slughorn always partnered Harry and I during Defence, Harry was generally on the receiving end of my wild bursts of magic. He'd had to go to Madam Pomfrey only the week before for a black eye. He had been a real sport about it; he had convinced Slughorn that he had been careless with his shield charm. Harry knew there was more to it though.

I knew it was only a matter of time before Severus would ban me from being alone in the castle again. He had more or less advised this so far, but I had gone my own way in my need to have my magic back. I supposed it was also fuelled by my indignation that my magic should be with anyone but me anyway. As it was, I had not mentioned all of Merle's appearances to Severus. I was not ready to give up my plan of conquering the problem.

I didn't look up as I zipped my bag closed. "You always know the right thing to say." I stopped and held onto the desk for a moment, a wave of dizziness passing over me. I bent down to pick up my bag, taking longer than normal to do so in order to wait it out.

Harry didn't miss a trick. "Oh yeah, there's someone in perfect health."

"Stop it, Harry," I said tiredly, standing up slowly and swinging my bag onto my back.

Harry picked up his bag too. "I'm going to tell Snape."

I rolled my eyes. "No, you're not."

"Am too," he said, not smiling. "This is getting ridiculous."

"But I didn't hurt you today…well except for that bump on your knee…and that scratch on your arm," I pointed out. "And your eye is back to normal now."

"That's not relevant and you know it," he said crossly. "I may have not found you collapsed in random places lately, but I bet it's still happening."

"Harry," I said, trying to be patient. "I appreciate your concern, but I _can_ handle it."

"You had better tell Snape though," he said. "The proper extent of it all, I mean. Seriously, Armilla, if I find you again around the school, I'm going to Snape."

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

I wasn't in the best mood as I made my way down to the dungeons. I knew that Harry_ did_ care, but I didn't want him talking to Severus about it either. To top it off, I hadn't managed to slip my message to George to Ginny. I hadn't found the opportunity to do it safely.

"Get your cloak," Severus said, as soon as I'd closed the door to our rooms. "We'll be leaving this evening, rather than tomorrow morning. Are you packed?"

We were going home for a couple of days for the Easter break, which I was really looking forward to.

"No…I was going to pack tonight," I replied, taking in Severus' slightly irritated mood. "What's the hurry?"

"Dumbledore wants us to pay a visit to Draco before we go home, so he figured it was best to do it tonight and head home to Derbyshire from there."

I opened my mouth to ask more questions, but Severus held a hand up to stop me. "I'll answer questions when we are on our way. I am not sure how long we will need to spend with Draco and so I would rather leave sooner rather than later so that we can be home at a reasonable hour."

He disappeared down the hall into his bedroom, his robes billowing out behind him. Fabulous, an evening with my agitated brother and the always delightful Draco Malfoy. At least I'd be able to see how Lydia was. I thought that leaving that poor muggle-born with Draco Malfoy was one of the worst decisions Dumbledore had ever made.

Ten minutes later Severus and I were out in the grounds, walking to the front gate so that we could disapparate.

"So why do we need to see Malfoy?" I asked. "I thought Dumbledore had been seeing him."

"He's seen Draco several times," Severus replied. "As I am Secret Keeper, Dumbledore thought it was about time I also pay him a visit. I need to give Draco new supplies and food. It's all in my pocket."

"Are we doing it because Dumbledore may not be around much longer?" I asked quietly. I supposed it wasn't really a question.

"I cannot tell exactly how long he's got left, but yes, I believe that is the reason."

"I didn't think you would want me to come." Severus had been furious when Dumbledore had wanted to involve me. I wasn't Secret Keeper, but the idea was that of anything…unfortunate…happened to Severus, it would be in my power to help out. I shuddered at the thought. I generally tried not to think about Severus not surviving the war.

"I don't," Severus said bluntly, "but I suppose your involvement is necessary, at least Dumbledore thinks so."

Once we were outside the gates, Severus offered his hand so that we could disapparate.

"When your magic is more stable, hopefully you can start practising," he said.

"Somehow I don't think that will be anytime soon," I said dryly, placing my hand his. I still had not joined in any of the Apparition lessons. My magic had just not been up to it, which had also been bothering Harry.

Severus arched an eyebrow. "Because you've been seeing Merle more times than you've been telling me?"

I didn't answer. I just stared back at him.

He sighed. "I am no fool, Armilla. You've looked exhausted lately and I've seen no improvement in your magic. I assumed you had made up your mind to be entirely Gryffindor about the situation."

I frowned. "Then why haven't you stopped me?"

"I assure you, I am not far from putting a stop to it," he said. He actually looked tired himself. "You're seventeen in two months and I don't believe you'd appreciate me making all your decisions for you."

"No," I admitted. I wouldn't appreciate Severus telling me that I couldn't go after Merle.

"But just because you're old enough to make important decisions for yourself does not mean they're always going to be made correctly," Severus went on. "That, of course, is part of becoming an adult and you can only learn from them."

Was Severus talking about anything in particular?

"Armilla," said Severus, looking very serious. "I do hope, that no matter how old you are, you do talk to me about things that worry you."

I nodded, feeling uncomfortable. "Even if you're not going to like it?"

He nodded. "I've never known you to be so preoccupied as you've been lately and I would rather know what troubles you than guess."

I nodded again. I couldn't tell if he already had an inkling about what I had not been telling him.

Severus gave me a grim look. "Let's go then."

We apparated to the side of a road near a deserted beach. I couldn't see any housing around, which was rather strange.

"Where are we?" I asked Severus. He pulled a bit of parchment out of his pocket. He held it out for me to see. "Memorise this."

_The accommodation for Mr Draco Malfoy and Miss Lydia Riddle may be found at Barton Cottage, Allhallows Beach, Rochester, Kent._

"Okay," I said, a moment later. I concentrated on it in my mind and a moment later I saw a small house materialise up ahead of us.

It was a stone cottage. It had a large blue wooden front door and windows on either side. From the outside, it looked pleasant enough, but I couldn't imagine it would be the sort of accommodation that Malfoy was used to.

"Dumbledore tells me that he inherited this house many years ago," Severus commented, as he used his wand to destroy the parchment. We began to make our way towards the lonely house. Our cloaks flapped in the strong wind.

"Why isn't there any other housing around here?"

"The muggles don't know about this part of the beach," he replied. "They have never realised because they've gotten distracted when they've gotten too near, much like Hogwarts. They wouldn't see it anyway."

As we approached the front door, loud cries from within could be heard.

"Sounds promising," I said quietly, as Severus knocked on the door. A moment later, a very dishevelled Draco Malfoy answered the door.

"About time, Dumble-" He stopped short when he saw us. Colour drained from his face. "Is he dead?"

"If you're referring to the Headmaster, Draco, then no," said Severus smoothly.

Malfoy just stared at him. I could still hear Lydia wailing inside.

"This is the point where you invite us in, Draco," my brother drawled. "Common courtesy and all, you know."

Malfoy seemed to snap out of his trance. "Oh, yes…do come in. Excuse the mess, if you will. Not a good day…"

His attempt to sound pompous didn't quite succeed. His normally smooth hair was sticking out in different directions and his robes had a crumpled look to them.

"Bad time?" Severus asked, as we followed Malfoy to the sitting room, which was at the front of the house.

It was a decent sized room, with two squashy looking sofas facing each other, with a coffee table in between. Pages of_ The Daily Prophet _were strewn here and there on the floor. Sitting on the floor, holding one very crumpled page and looking very red faced and teary eyed, was Lydia Riddle. She stopped her wailing when she saw Severus and I. If she recognised us, and I had doubted she would, she gave no sign.

"Do you fight over the sports section or something, Draco?" Severus asked, taking in the mess. Even cushions were sitting here and there on the floor, as if they had been flung there.

Lydia whimpered, clutching the page she had to her chest.

Malfoy grimaced as he looked over at Lydia. "She…er…likes how the people in the photos move. I've concluded that the muggle papers mustn't have anything like that."

We all looked over at Lydia, who was staring back at us, a curious expression on her face now.

"Dumbledore said you're the Secret Keeper," Malfoy said to Severus, looking warily at him. "I suppose if you were going to give me away to the Dark Lord, you'd have done it by now."

"We all have our own priorities, Draco," Severus replied, his face expressionless. "The Headmaster trusts me implicitly and I intend to keep it that way."

"Has he…" Malfoy faltered, looking slightly sick, "has the Dark Lord mentioned me? And my mother? How is she?"

I looked over at Severus, wondering the same thing myself.

Severus' expression remained the same as he answered. "I am not at liberty to give you any information about what the Dark Lord says."

Malfoy opened his mouth again, presumably to argue, but Severus kept on speaking. "What I can tell you, care of Dumbledore himself, is that your mother is well."

Malfoy looked relieved.

"And to ensure her continued safety," Severus went on, "you, of course, need to uphold your end of the bargain."

Malfoy pulled a face. "I am!" He gestured at Lydia. "She's alive, isn't she?"

"She's not clean," I pointed out. Indeed, Lydia looked like she hadn't had a bath in a few days.

Malfoy gave me a scathing look. "Well, she's a _mudblood_ after all."

Anger surged through me and suddenly Malfoy was slammed into the opposite wall. He slid down it, looking a little dazed. Lydia began to cry once more.

Severus glared at me. "If you cannot control your magic-" he began furiously.

"You _know_ I can't!" I hissed back.

His eyes flashed. "That was _your _decision!"

I stared back at him angrily. Finally, I was the first to look away. I walked over to Lydia and picked her up. She continued to wail, still clutching her piece of the newspaper. I glared over at Malfoy, who was rubbing his head. "If you can't wash her, I will."

I left the room without a backwards glance. Lydia whimpered as I looked for the bathroom. I was still shaking with rage. Why did Lydia have to stay with _Malfoy _of all people? Dumbledore was ridiculous to place so much faith in a dumb old prophecy that was probably not even going to come true.

I found the bathroom and began running the bath. As I set Lydia down on the floor, a terrible wave of guilt passed over me. I shouldn't have lost control. What Malfoy had said was despicable, but I should have had enough control of my magic to not let my anger win. What if it had happened in front of another Death Eater who was still in service? I could have made things very difficult for Severus.

"When was the last time you had a bath?" I grumbled, as I took the last of Lydia's dirty clothing off. She just looked back at me, her fingers in her mouth.

"It's going to get wet if it goes into the bath with you," I said, gesturing at the piece of newspaper. I held my hand out for it.

Lydia looked at the bath and then back at the newspaper. "Mine," she said.

I sighed. "I'm not disagreeing with you. I took out my wand and transfigured a cloth into a yellow rubber duck.

Lydia smiled and reached for it.

I shook my head. "Newspaper first, please."

Lydia looked down at the newspaper again, clearly deliberating.

"You'll get it back, I promise."

Finally, the exchange was made and Lydia was soon sitting in the bath with the duck. I took the chance to examine the newspaper. It was a photo of Dumbledore sitting at his desk at Hogwarts. It was there as part of a typical article that questioned his leadership of the school.

"So it's Dumbledore you like," I said quietly.

For the first time, Lydia gave a big smile. "Sweets," she said.

I smiled. "He gives you sweets? Well of course you like him then."

As I started to wash her, I could hear the muffled voices of Severus and Malfoy in the sitting room. Both were clearly angry. Occasionally I could make out a few words of their conversation. Malfoy, it seemed, was putting in a minimum of effort and Severus was pointing it out to him.

Only minutes later, I heard their footsteps in the hallway. Suddenly both of them were standing behind me in the bathroom.

"Carry on," Severus said casually, as I turned around in surprise. "Draco is here to observe."

Malfoy looked furious. "I know how to give it a bath, alright?"

Severus seemed to count to three in his head before responding. "Firstly, _Draco_, you need to understand that the child is not an_ it_, and secondly, if you knew how to give her a bath, then Armilla would not currently be doing it _for _you."

Malfoy huffed and folded his arms. I noticed though, as I turned around again, that he was watching me out of the corner of his eye.

Lydia played with the duck the whole time and we went through the whole process without incident. Soon she was clean and dressed in clean clothes, still clutching the rubber duck, the newspaper forgotten.

"Are you going to show us your usual dinnertime routine," Severus asked Malfoy, his voice laced with sarcasm, "or should we save you the trouble and show our displeasure now?"

Malfoy glowered at Severus. "She eats," he said shortly.

"What does she eat?" I asked, taking Lydia's hand as we followed him to the kitchen, at the back of the house.

"The food Dumbledore leaves for her, care of the house elves at Hogwarts," he replied, giving me a smug look.

"Sweets," Lydia said again, at the mention of Dumbledore.

"She eats sweets?" Severus said, raising an eyebrow at Malfoy.

"He brings her presents," he said moodily. "I suppose it makes him feel better since he's leaving it…her…with someone like me."

_Sounds like Dumbledore_, I thought to myself; always an agenda.

Twenty minutes later, we sat in front of the fire. It was nearing half-past seven and I had just put Lydia to bed. Thankfully, having the duck with her, Lydia had not put up too much of a protest. I had thought it would be difficult, especially after Malfoy had admitted that he often left her to sleep anywhere around the house.

It seemed like Severus had done nothing but lecture Malfoy since we'd arrive. I wondered how much care Dumbledore was really putting into the situation.

"You know, Draco," said Severus, leaning back on the sofa, "the funny thing about two year olds is how terribly _honest_ they are. They do not understand subtlety or pretence. It will be obvious to us in future if it looks like you are not doing what you are obliged to do."

Malfoy shook his head. "I'm going mad here."

"What's your alternative?" Severus said sharply. "Death? The death of your mother? Your father has caused enough trouble for your family in the eyes of the Dark Lord and you know it, Draco."

Malfoy looked petulantly at Severus. "You know that I do not care about my own life-"

"But you _do_ care about your mother's," my brother finished for him.

Malfoy nodded slowly. "Of course I care about her."

"Then do us a favour and show some of that care to the child," Severus said, looking seriously at him. "I have enough to do, Draco, without having to come here more often than needed simply to see if a child's basic needs are being met. I know you are angry and I know you are bored here, but your involvement and _assistance_ here could well prove a ticket out of Azkaban for you if the Light wins this war."

Again, though not looking so bad-tempered now, Malfoy nodded. He suddenly gave a dry laugh. "It's hard, you know? I never know what to do with her."

"What did Miss Felicity do with you when you were troublesome as a small child?" Severus asked him.

Malfoy thought for a moment. "She gave me what I wanted…because I would threaten to have her fired if she didn't."

Severus closed his eyes in annoyance.

"Your governess?" I asked.

Malfoy nodded. "Actually, I could use her help right now. I'd borrow your old governess, Armilla, if she wasn't so busy."

Severus opened his eyes at that.

"Busy?" I repeated. "Doing what?" Did he know about Rougier being married to Father? Did he know she was pregnant?

Malfoy shrugged lazily. "I'm sure I don't know."

"Draco," Severus said tersely, "tell us what you know. We're not fans of Zita Rougier, you see, and we'd love to know what has been keeping her busy lately."

"I really don't know," Malfoy insisted. "I only know that she's busy because Arian and Alonso mentioned it to me _ages_ ago."

Arian and Alonso? "Where?" I asked. "When?"

Malfoy shrugged again. "It must have been at Christmas time. It was at a gathering at the Hewitt's home. Arian Bletchley has a Transfiguration apprenticeship in Lyon with Marcel Rougier."

Marcel _Rougier_? I knew Arian worked in Lyon for a Transfiguration Master, but he had never mentioned the name.

"And I assume he is a relation of the beloved governess?" Severus asked darkly.

Malfoy nodded. "Yes, he's her brother. Arian was talking about a large financial blunder his master had made and mentioned that Zita was doing all she could to help him."

"I didn't know you and Arian and Alonso were friends," I said coolly.

"More acquaintances than anything else," Malfoy said casually. "I gave Arian the all-clear at Christmas time to date you, since I wasn't. I failed to mention, of course, that you'd already refused _me_."

"Well, thanks for giving him_ your_ permission," I said acidly. "Whatever gave you the impression that _you_ had the authority on such matters?"

Malfoy didn't even blink. "I'm a Malfoy," he said simply, as if that explained everything.

"And on that note," said Severus, standing up, "I believe it's time to depart."

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Arian had a connection with Rougier all this time," I said, after we had apparated near the Merrigan Estate. "It's strange how it never came up. They were both at that party Father had last year."

"Do you remember them talking to each other?" Severus asked, as he opened the door to the carriage.

I shook my head, as I got in. "No. Perhaps they didn't even meet then."

"Perhaps not," Severus said, getting in behind me. "He may not have known that Marcel even had a sister at that point."

I looked out the window as the carriage set off. "I wonder what she's doing to earn money."

"Something dishonest I'd wager," Severus muttered. He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "I cannot help but feel that there is a connection between Marcel Rougier filing for bankruptcy and Zita marrying Father."

I had no doubt about_ that_. "There has to be."

"We'll need to talk about what happened with your magic," Severus said, looking over at me. "I am not impressed, Armilla."

I nodded again, meeting his eye only briefly.

We were silent all through the short journey to the house. I had grown accustomed to calling this place home now and the first glimpse of the large, greyish house was such a happy one.

As I had anticipated, our house elf, Docky, was waiting on the front steps. Ever a festive personality, Docky was sporting a pair of bunny ears, the same pink and white ones he had worn when we'd arrived home for Easter a year ago.

"Docky wishes you a Happy Easter!" he squeaked, as we stepped out of the carriage.

Severus grimaced at the sight of the ears. "Docky, I seem to remember telling you last year that if you wanted to _be_ a rabbit, I could oblige you."

Docky looked daringly up at him. "Docky decided that his festive spirit must not be squashed, Master Severus."

Severus merely stared at him.

"Miss Hazel used to be encouraging Docky to dress for any season that called for festivity, Master Severus."

"My mother and I disagreed on many points, Docky," Severus sneered, "and this was one of them. Remove those ridiculous things at once." He brushed passed Docky, went up the steps and disappeared into the house.

Docky stared after him, his ears dropping a little.

"Never mind," I whispered to him. "I think you knew Severus wouldn't like them. I do; they're rather becoming, I think."

Docky beamed at me, as we ascended the stairs. "Docky thanks you, Miss Armilla. Docky made hot cross buns again. Does Miss Armilla think Master Severus will like them?"

"I'm sure he will."

I went up to my bedroom and resized my shrunken luggage before seeking out Severus. I found him down in the dining room, where he was serving Docky's steaming steak and mushroom pie onto plates.

"I'm sorry about what happened before," I said, as I sat down. "I realise the situation could have been far more dangerous than it was. I know it's not an excuse, but I'm having a hard time controlling my magic at the moment, particularly when I get angry."

Severus nodded as he handed me my plate. "I appreciate your acknowledgement of the potential danger of the situation. I do realise that you are having difficulty controlling your magic and it concerns me that this sort of thing could happen again."

"I do my best to-"

"I am not questioning your intentions, Armilla," he said, "however your decision to pursue Merle has resulted in something that could have been far more dangerous. I agree that regaining all of your magical strength is very important, but at what cost? Your magic of late has become something of a yo-yo."

I frowned. "A _what_?"

" A yo-yo," he repeated. "It a muggle toy…Mother had one years ago. It's a wheel that travels up at down a piece of string-" He stopped when he saw the confusion on my face. "That's beside the point. I respect that you do need to make decisions for yourself, but I ask you most fervently to think of the potential consequences too."

"You make me feel like all my decisions are going to have unfortunate consequences," I said.

"I do not intend that at all," he said, shaking his head. "You are very responsible, Armilla, but I would give that advice to anyone your age. Mother gave me the same advice many years ago and I wish that I had paid more attention to her at the time."

I looked back at him, trying to imagine him as a teenager.

"Perhaps I should stop seeking Merle out," I said quietly, staring down at my pie. "Maybe I should focus on controlling the magic I have."

"Again, that is entirely your decision," Severus said. "Show me the emerald."

I held out my hand to him and his grasped the emerald on the bracelet. I immediately felt the warmth from the touch through my veins. It always reminded me of the very first time Severus had touched it, early in my fifth year.

"It's a lot greener than it was when Merle first starting making appearances," Severus commenting, studying it carefully. "It looks as though you have most of your magical strength."

"But not all of it," I murmured, also staring at it.

"No…" He let go and picked up his knife and fork again. "But whoever is behind it is playing the game just as well as you are, and I do not want to see you lose."

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

A/N Better late than never? It seems now I only get the chance to update during the holidays.

You may have noticed that I have played with the HBP timeline a little, especially with Harry and Ginny's relationship and the Quidditch match – it just fit my story this way.

By the way, if you like Severus father-daughter fics, check out MetamorphmagusLupin's work. I love the Severus and Zoe stories and Severus is so well written in them.

Please review!

Coral Grace


	35. There's a Foul Plot Afoot

**Chapter 35**

"I think it's strange that Arian never mentioned to me that he knew Rougier," I said to Severus, as we were eating breakfast on Easter Sunday.

Severus had just finished lamenting that Dumbledore would never understand that he did not have a preference for chocolate stars. I had given Severus dark chocolate again, and he had given me a box of eggs that could change flavour in my mouth. Neither of us ventured to say that there was a chance there'd be no more chocolate stars anyway. It was too painful to think that the leader of our war might not be around next Easter.

"He told me that he had an apprenticeship in Lyon," I continued, picking up a piece of toast, "but didn't mention that it was under Rougier's brother."

"I don't suppose he had any reason to mention it," Severus said, pouring coffee. "To what advantage would it be?"

I thought for a moment. "Just finding a connection, I think. He knew I had a governess because he saw her at Father's party. Why not acknowledge the connection?"

"Perhaps he has since found out your unfavourable opinion of Rougier and didn't want you to know he answers to her brother." Severus looked unconcerned. "He could have a dozen motives, Armilla."

"And she's busy," I said, more to myself.

Severus nodded. "That's what I'm more interested in. She married our father, became pregnant, then had a role in killing Father-"

"Allegedly," I reminded him, though I had no doubt.

He sneered. "She _allegedly_ had a role in killing Father." His pronunciation of the word was laced with malicious sarcasm. "She didn't receive the money she thought she was entitled to in his will and has since been busy."

"And it was at Christmas time that Arian mentioned that Marcel Rougier was having financial troubles," I said thoughtfully. "And that his sister was busy helping him."

Severus scowl deepened. "Perhaps it was when she married Father. She would have conceived some time afterwards, clearly part of the plan."

I nodded, growing more agitated. "And then Father died in early February."

"I shall have to do some investigation on Marcel Rougier," Severus said grimly.

"Arian," I said suddenly.

Severus frowned, looking askance at me.

"Do you think he's been wanting to go out with me because of some obligation to the Rougiers?"

Severus paused, his coffee cup raised. As he considered, he put his cup down again. "There could very well be a connection," he said finally, "but I would jump to no conclusion about his motives. Arian Bletchley can be as cunning as he likes. He may not have been acting on the orders of the Rougiers, apprentice or not. It could well be that Arian is working against them."

Now I was completed diverted. "How?"

Severus shook his head. "It's just speculation, Armilla. The Bletchley family is an old one, but not a financially secure one. He could be trying to beat Rougier at her own game."

"Money?" I had understood that Arian's motive had primarily been a pureblood connection.

Severus inclined his head. "In marrying you, Arian would have access to an estate that Rougier would love to get her hands on. The birth of your first child would push certainly push Rougier's child further down the inheritance list."

I shuddered, disgusted by the thought. I didn't like the fact that Rougier's child would be inline to inherit the Snape Estate. What's more, the thought of Arian having the inclination to reduce the chance of that inheritance through his own greed was repulsive. I suddenly had a vision of walking about Snape Manor with George, the war over and the world happy. I couldn't suppress a small smile when I imagined my own small children attempting to have Severus play games with them.

"Your smile in response to such a scheme alarms me," Severus said, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Oh-" I said, hoping I wasn't blushing. "No, I am repulsed by the thought…I was just thinking of something else."

Severus was watching me, suspicious clear in his eyes. "I see," he said, though his face told me he clearly didn't.

A loud hoot made us both start and a large speckled out soared into the room a moment later. It landed smoothly next to my plate and obediently held out its leg, which had a large box attached. After I had performed the necessary security charms Severus had taught me, I detached the box. The owl picked up one of Docky's bunny shaped waffles and immediately took off.

"You're welcome to the rest of them," Severus called after him. "They're positively vile."

"Did you try one then?" I said, smiling over at him as I tore off the paper the box was wrapped in.

Severus narrowed his eyes at me. "No, of course not."

My heart fluttered a little when I saw the _Weasleys Wizard Wheezes_ logo on the front of the box. George wouldn't have sent anything that would make our relationship known, but I was hoping that there'd be a letter inside, concealed somehow.

"Speak of the devil," said Severus, when he saw the logo.

I frowned at him. "What do you mean? We weren't just speaking about Fred and George."

"No, just thinking about them," he said cryptically.

"But we-"

Severus waved a hand towards the box. "Just open it, Armilla," he said, impatiently.

Feeling rather self-conscious all of a sudden, I opened the box and tipped its contents onto the table. A large, purple covered Easter egg rolled out, followed by a folded bit of parchment.

I picked up the egg and read the label. "_The Tongue Print Security Egg_," I read. "_An egg unbreakable to all those to whom it does not belong. So hands off, foul fiends_!"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Genius."

I picked up the parchment, hesitating. Severus generally didn't ask to read my correspondence, but there was still a hint of suspicion in his expression. Maybe it was because his eyes seemed to be following my every move. If I didn't open the parchment, it would be obvious that I was concealing something.

Resigned, I reached out and unfolded the parchment, almost certain that George wouldn't write anything that would give us away.

_Dear Armilla,_

_Happy Easter! As you know, we like to send out well wishing treats to those we greatly esteem. Enjoy this marvellous new product of ours. Remember to treat it carefully._

_Yours in jokes and all that is ridiculous,_

_Fred and George Weasley_

Treat it carefully? I could only imagine that George had concealed something inside the egg. I smiled at the strange thought of my tongue print opening the egg. How absurd and yet how awfully useful!

"It's a new product of theirs," I said, folding the parchment again.

"And I'm sure it's a clever one too," said Severus, standing up. He picked up his coffee cup and swept past me.

"Clever?" I repeated, looking up at him. He stopped and turned around, before stepping back towards me. "What do you-"

"Only that it might be deceptively filled with something more inside," he replied indifferently, "…more chocolate perhaps...or something even better." He bent down, kissed the top of my head, and then turned and left the room without another word.

I stared after him, feeling stricken.

000

"I couldn't tell you!" I announced, standing in the doorway to Severus' bedroom that evening. "You _laughed_!"

The day had worn on and Severus had made no more cryptic remarks alluding to George Weasley, but I had become far more on edge. It didn't help that George's letter, a nice long one that had been concealed within the egg, had also carried a request to inform Severus of the relationship. It seemed that George was feeling guilty, seeing as Severus' knowledge of useful potions ingredients had helped the business to become what it was.

We had just returned from a nice evening flying over the grounds of the Merrigan Estate, except that I hadn't enjoyed it as much as I'd have liked to. It was funny how heavy a nagging mind could be, even on a broomstick.

Severus, who had been taking his cloak off, paused, looking startled.

"You laughed!" I exclaimed. "I couldn't tell you! How could I? You_ laughed_!"

Severus threw his cloak aside, sat down on his bed and fixed me with a look that plainly told me he was questioning my sanity. "I have the impression you are trying to be candid about something, Armilla, but I fail to make a connection with what you're talking about. Though I could probably count on one hand all the times I have laughed within the past year or so, it could take some time to recall the occasions. I must ask you to be a little more explicit."

"Alonso Hewitt!" I said crossly. "His letter! You laughed!"

Comprehension seemed to dawn on Severus' face. He considered me for a moment. "At the time," he said slowly, "I found the letter, and the hints it gave, exceedingly amusing."

"At the time?" I repeated. Did that mean he didn't find it funny now?

Severus gave me a hard look. "Is there something you'd like to tell me, Armilla?"

I didn't answer at first. My mind was too busy creating possible reactions on Severus' part.

"Armilla?" my brother said again. "For Merlin's sake, stop lingering in the doorway and sit down." He gestured towards the space on the bed next to him.

Slowly, I moved further into the room and sat down beside him. After a moment's pause, I met his gaze. "I'm worried you'll do something worse than laugh this time."

His eyes narrowed. "Like what?"

"Like telling me that you would never support such a thing because you don't like him or the risk that's involved."

"_Like_ him?" Severus repeated. "And which red-headed _him_ are we talking of?"

"George," I said quietly.

Severus didn't say anything. He looked away for a moment, his expression vacant. I couldn't tell if he was angry or not.

"How long have you liked him?" he asked finally, turning back to face me.

"Months, I think," I answered. "It was gradual…I didn't realise."

Severus' vacant expression didn't change. "And how long have you acknowledged a relationship with him?"

"About five weeks." When he didn't say anything else, I went on. "Only Ginny knows, and Fred, I think. We very rarely communicate because of the risk."

Still, he didn't say anything. Finally, after what seemed ages, he spoke. "Well, this _is_ some news." He gave me a knowing look. "Though I must confess it's not entirely unexpected."

"I've been wanting to tell you!" I said, perhaps a little too expressively. "I just-"

"Knew not how?" Severus offered, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded. "You said that the Weasleys would never want to align themselves with a family like ours."

Severus gave me a deadpan look. "Even_ I _can be wrong on occasion Armilla. That said, you have yet to see the reaction of Mr and Mrs Weasley. I have it on good authority that Molly Weasley is less than pleased about her eldest son's engagement to Fleur Delacour. You never know, you might become the favourite."

At the moment I didn't care about any of that. "Are _you _okay with it though?"

Severus looked thoughtful. "I do not believe I would be okay with _anyone_ you dated."

I looked away. "Oh good."

"However," he went on, "this is entirely your decision. I am, as I've stated to you in the past, concerned about exposure and the risks you will face if you are found out." He looked curiously at me. "I do hope it will remain a secret for now. You do know how quickly information like this would make its way into Death Eater circles?"

I nodded. "I don't want the risk to be greater than it currently is."

"Good. How have you been conversing?"

"Through Ginny Weasley. It's been difficult to disguise our correspondence, but we've managed. It's rare I can slip her a letter though."

"Nevertheless, it's probably best if you aren't seen doing it too often," Severus remarked.

"And what about my choice?" I asked.

"Your choice?"

"A Weasley." Severus had always made his preference clear, but he'd always had some underlying respect for the Weasley twins.

Severus shook his head. "I don't like it, but I suppose that doesn't matter."

"It matters to me though," I said earnestly. "It's important to me that you should think well of him."

Severus stood up. "George Weasley, I suppose, is not the worst young man in the world, but once his family is added to the array, you're going to give me one giant headache just thinking about it."

I stood up and placed my arms around him. He hugged me back, though he looked rather disgruntled.

"I thought you'd get really mad."

"Oh, I am _definitely_ put out," he said seriously. "I have Mother's voice rejoicing in my head at the moment, coupled with Father's mortification. It's quite a combination to be getting on with." He sighed. "Does it _have_ to be a Weasley? I am starting to regret giving you permission to date."

We broke apart and I looked back at him, taking in his disgruntled expression. "You cannot always help who you like."

Severus' face darkened and he looked away.

I stood on tiptoe to kiss him goodnight. I was not sure whether I felt that much better. I had honestly been expecting more of a temper. I headed for the door, but turned around when Severus spoke again.

"A Weasley? You're certain about this?"

"Yes," I said earnestly.

He sneered. "I do hope you can tell them apart."

"_Severus_."

000

Making the decision not to seek Merle out when I went back to school was an exceptionally difficult one. I didn't want to keep collapsing in random parts of the castle, only to come off worse than I'd been before. I could only imagine that as I experimented with getting my magic back, the person behind the curse was likewise experimenting with making it stronger and more threatening than before.

Still, I had to be careful when I was alone in the castle, as the caster generally used this to the best advantage. I didn't like the idea of always depending on someone to accompany me around the castle either. In the end, I thought I would carry on as normal, going around the castle with friends, Severus, or if necessary, by myself. If Merle came, I would do my best to handle it.

Severus didn't say a lot about my decision when I confided in him in the carriage on the way back to the castle after Easter.

"As long as you avoid be alone whenever you can," he said, glancing over at me. "If there comes a point where your magic is becoming too erratic, I will certainly insist on having you be accompanied by someone wherever you go. Just be careful. Like I've told you before, if you to do happen to come across Merle, move as quickly as you can to a place where you're likely to find other people."

"Okay."

"And," Severus went on, fixing me with a hard look, "I would appreciate knowing about Merle's appearance _every_ time they happen."

I had the grace to look a little guilty at that. "I will," I promised. I still hadn't told him about the curse that was making me collapse. I knew he would forbid me to be alone again.

"Have you told Mr Weasley about this problem?"

I shook my head. "No…should I?"

"I think it's advisable to avoid putting such a thing in writing, no matter how advanced your concealments are."

"Okay."

"And if possible, try to avoid having Potter be that someone who accompanies you."

I looked back at Severus, feeling annoyed. "I've _never_ asked him to accompany me."

"I didn't say you had, but I'd rather not give Miss Parkes more reason to gossip. Even the Slytherins seem to enjoy her antics."

"She used to be much nicer," I said grumpily, staring back out the window.

Several weeks went by, quite uneventfully. I had tried to avoid being alone as much as possible. I had a slip up on the Saturday evening first week in May when I was waiting for Lisa outside the girls' bathroom on the third floor. As had happened once before, I had fallen to the ground, unable to move and had to virtually plead with my emerald to defend me. It seemed to be so confused by Merle. All I had seen were green beams of different tones, caught in mid air.

The episode had only ended with Lisa emerging from the bathroom. I had gotten up, feeling a little battered, especially around the right side of my face, which had hit the wall, and a grazed elbow. I staggered a little in pain when I took a step.

"Damn!" I had twisted my ankle in the fall. Severus was going to be furious. I could hear him now pointing out how all this could have been avoided. The truth was, I hadn't been thinking as I'd stepped out of the bathroom. I'd walked out to wait out of habit more than anything else.

"Can you walk?" Lisa asked. "He'll blame me too for this you know."

I gingerly put a foot out and hissed in pain. _Excellent_. Just what I needed.

"Anyway we can get out of this by _not_ telling your brother?" Lisa asked drily.

"He doesn't like me going to Madam Pomfrey," I said quietly, leaning against the wall. "He'd rather handle injuries himself."

"Sounds like a control freak to me," said Lisa, smirking at me.

"Now's not the time, Lisa," I groaned. Honestly, there was the pot calling the cauldron black.

"I was complimenting him!" she said indignantly.

"And he's right nearby," said a voice behind us.

"Harry!" I exclaimed, feeling really annoyed to see him. "Why is it that you keep showing up whenever-"

"Whenever what, Armilla?" Harry was busy stuffing a piece of parchment into his pocket. "There are people about you know, you might want to keep your voice down."

"Snape's nearby?" Lisa asked, looking nervous.

"He was walking down a hall not far from here." Harry jerked his head in the other direction from where he'd come.

"How do you know that?" I asked suspiciously. "You just came from the other direction."

Harry folded his arms. "I'll answer that when you tell me what just happened."

"Nothing happened," I said shortly. "I am more curious about why you keep showing up when this happens."

"That's certainly a good question," came a silky voice. We all turned in alarm to see Severus striding up the corridor towards us.

He paused next to me and looked closely at my face, clearly taking in the lump that must have been forming there where it had been hit.

"I'd appreciate an answer, Potter," Severus all but growled, turning to face Harry. "This is the second time now you and Armilla have supposedly run into each other in the evening. You must have some motive, I assume?"

"I can't tell you," Harry said stiffly.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

Harry looked over at me.

"If it's to protect Armilla, Potter, then I'd advise against it." The glare Severus was giving to Harry was suddenly transferred to me. "Armilla knows that I permit nothing but honesty. She knows better than to fabricate the truth." He eyes were fixed on mine. "_Don't you_, Armilla?"

"Yes," I said as smoothly as I could muster. I was quite sure that I sounded more confident in my head.

"Well, Potter?" Severus demanded.

Harry looked over at me, looking a little incensed. What had I done to him?

"Sorry, Armilla," he said, "but I did say I'd tell the next time I found you."

I glared at him. "He already _knows_."

Harry glared back at me. "You've told him that you collapse in random places around the school?"

Lisa covered her eyes with her hand, groaning. Clearly, she was expecting someone to snap any moment.

Severus looked from Harry to me, his expression stony. "_Collapsing_, Armilla? That was a little detail you were conveniently leaving out."

I didn't look at Severus. I was too busy glaring at Harry. Harry was returning the look without the guilt I wanted him to feel.

Severus looked over at Lisa. "There's four minutes until curfew, Miss Turpin. You are excused."

Lisa didn't need telling twice. She fled the hall and was gone in seconds.

"My office," Severus said abruptly, glaring at the two of us. "_Now_."

He turned and began to walk down the hall. Harry began to follow, but both turned a moment later when they realised that I wasn't following them.

"Need I extend a personal invitation, Armilla?"

I shook my head and took a step, hoping my ankle had miraculously healed itself in the past few minutes. I gritted my teeth with the pain the step caused.

"Now would probably be an acceptable time to tell me that you've injured yourself," Severus snapped, striding back up the corridor.

"Fine," I snapped back, angry tears springing to my eyes. "I've injured myself and it _wasn't_ on purpose!"

Severus glared at me. Harry was watching our exchange with a look of trepidation on his face. Perhaps the guilt was coming after all.

"Sit down," Severus ordered, taking my hand to help me sit. He bent down and pulled my shoe and sock off. I gasped as he felt my ankle, which was already started to swell.

Severus sighed as he stood up. "I'll conjure you a stretcher."

"No," I said quickly, feeling embarrassed that Harry was witnessing the scene.

Severus looked annoyed. "The alternative is to have me carry you."

"No!" I exclaimed, mortified. "I'll try to walk."

"Don't be ridiculous." He took out his wand and conjured a stretcher. After pocketing it away, he reached down and lifted me onto it. "It's only a short ride. I'll cast invisibility charms over you and cast wards to have people avoid our path."

"You can do that?" Harry, who seemed to forget that he was talking to his least favourite teacher, looked impressed despite himself.

"Perform simple magic, Potter?" my brother drawled. "Why, yes, I can."

Harry glared at him and muttered something indistinct under his breath.

Severus, who had his wand trained on the stretcher, turned to look at Harry. "Ten points from Gryffindor for assuming that my hearing is less than perfect, Potter."

Harry opened his mouth and then closed it again, clearly choosing to adopt the self-control he'd been learning from Severus since last summer. Severus never lost a chance to test him.

The trip to Severus' office only took a few minutes, thankfully, and before long we were inside the cold room with the door shut behind us. As soon as I was able to, I hopped onto one of the chairs in front of Severus' desk.

Severus immediately conjured two icepacks. "Here," he said, holding it one out to me. "Keep it pressed on the lump for the next half hour. I will give you a bruise salve to put on it after that.

"Thanks," I muttered, accepting it from him.

"Put your foot up here," he said, moving a chair nearby. As I did so, he put the other icepack over my swelling ankle. He moved to sit behind his desk. "How many times have you concealed such injuries? By the way Potter puts it, this is not an infrequent occurrence."

"It's not really a frequent one," I said angrily, looking from Severus to Harry, who was looking uncomfortable. "I've told you when it has happened."

"You haven't told me much about collapsing!" Severus snapped. "I would most certainly have liked to be kept informed about that."

"That has only been a recent development," I said heatedly. "You know I've been careful since the last couple of times."

"Careful of _what _exactly?" Harry interrupted.

"It's not your concern, Potter!" Severus said irritably.

"Yes, it is!" Harry exclaimed. "Something's been happening to Armilla and I know it's having an effect in our Defence classes."

"What I would like to know, Potter," Severus said, his waspish tone quiet, "is why you do keep making an appearance when Armilla collapses."

"I don't know that it's _every_ time," Harry said defensively.

"_Sir_," Severus growled.

Harry glared at him. "_Sir_," he said sourly. "I've had a few evening meetings with Professor Dumbledore and had run into Armilla after a couple of them. It's not hard when you hear the screams."

At this, Severus glared at me. He knew that Merle screamed every time I managed to break the sheen to get my magic back.

"And what have you seen, Potter?"

Harry paused a moment before answering. "Nothing really…sir."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Care to be a little more explicit?"

Harry shrugged. "I generally see Armilla getting up and that's about it."

Severus nodded. "Injured?"

Harry looked at me before looking back at Severus. "A little. Slughorn healed her on Ron's birthday."

"I see," Severus said, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers. "Neither informed me about that."

"Well, Ron's poisoning was probably a bit of a distraction," I said bitterly, looking away from both of them.

"Thank you, Mr Potter," said Severus, standing up. "I am sure it goes without saying that you will not speak of this incident to anyone, unless you wish to suffer my displeasure."

Harry nodded. He looked over at me, finally looking a little guilty. "I'm sorry, Armilla, but I did say I would tell the next time. You were in danger."

"Very noble," I said evenly, looking back at him.

"Be off with you, Potter," Severus said, waving his wand to open the door. "And mind what I said."

Harry left the room without another word.

Severus closed the door with another flick of his wand. He turned back to me, his face showing suppressed fury. "You and I, my dear," he said, sitting down next to me, "have a few things to discuss."

000

A/N Just a small chapter for the time being – I thought it was better than nothing. I'm hoping the next chapter will be out very soon, especially seeing as the end of the story is near. Thank you to those reviewers who have been encouraging me to keep writing, despite knowing that I cannot update frequently.


	36. I Solemnly Swear

**Chapter 36**

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, watching as Severus sat down on a chair next to me. I could practically feel the anger radiating from him.

"For not telling me or for getting caught?" Severus asked, glowering at me. "By _Potter_ of all people."

I looked away. My insides were churning, both with anger towards Harry and myself. "I should have told you," I murmured.

"Yes, you should have!" he snapped. "I cannot begin to express to you how appalled I am that I had to find out such a thing from _Potter_, Armilla."

"I'm sorry," I said again, looking back at my brother.

"Yes, so you've said," he said, his eyes narrowed. "I do wonder if you fully comprehend the danger you have been placing yourself in-"

"Of course I-"

"Do not interrupt me!" he said harshly. "What if someone who did not have your best interests in mind had come along? What if it had been a child of a Death Eater? Even petty tales from the halls of Hogwarts can make their way to the ears of the Dark Lord, Armilla."

I winced, feeling a lump in my throat. I felt so selfish.

"I'd rather not endure you being a topic of discussion at the Dark Lord's gatherings." Severus shook his head. "I had thought you more mature than this. What of your own health? Does it concern you that whoever is behind this is intent on taking away your magic? Have you truly stopped to calculate the risk each time you've set out to meet Merle or have you acted in a purely Gryffindor fashion?"

"I have thought about the risks," I said, looking away again. I pressed the icepack more firmly into the lump on my head, which was throbbing with pain. "I am not entirely stupid."

"You know how I feel about that sort of talk," Severus said, giving me an irritated look. "We are speaking of your actions."

We were both silent for a moment. I felt so stupid. Why hadn't I told Severus about collapsing? The last person he'd have wanted to hear it from would have been Harry Potter. I felt terrible. I didn't think I had ever disappointed even Merle this much, let alone Severus.

"Look at me, Armilla."

I raised my eyes to meet his dark ones, and felt the lump in my throat grow bigger as I saw the mixture of anger and disappointment in them.

"Tell me what I have not already heard about these episodes,_ every little detail_." He pronounced last three words with an expression laced with mocking.

"It's not just a curse that follows me around," I said quietly. "Someone waits for me to be on my own…and when I am, he or she is doing non-verbal magic to make me collapse before Merle appears."

Severus' eyes flashed as he looked away, shaking his head. "I am astounded that you would keep such information from me."

I opened my mouth to apologise again, but my brother held a hand up. "Go on," he said gruffly.

"If I couldn't retaliate, Merle was free to drain my magic all she liked."

"You mean the curse drains the spell," Severus put in. "I really dislike the fact that we call this curse _Merle_."

I shrugged, wincing as I shifted the icepack. "I cannot help thinking of the curse as Merle, seeing as it has her appearance."

"Even so," Severus muttered, taking out his wand. He summoned a potion and glass, which landed neatly on the desk in front of him. I recognised the pain relief potion straight away. "Here," said Severus, after he had poured some into the glass.

"Thank you," I said gratefully. I heaved a sigh of relief as the pain left my head the throbbing in my ankle eased.

Severus nodded as he took the glass and placed it back on the desk. "Continue."

"I started mentally sending messages to the emerald on my charm bracelet to defend me, which didn't seem to work at first."

Seeming to forget his anger, Severus leaned in slightly, interest very evident on his face.

"My magic from Merle didn't come back at me like it had before though," I continued, thinking back to the first time it had happened, two months earlier, on Ron's birthday. "It didn't have that same magnetic force as before. Instead, when the sheen was pierced, the substance came out but it seemed to float about in midair."

Severus let out a huff of annoyance at this, but I continued to speak.

"An emerald beam finally shot from my bracelet, as before, but just as it happened, a black beam shot from where Merle had been pierced. The two beams collided and it became like a battle as to where my magic would go."

"This has happened several times now?" Severus asked, his stern gaze fixed on me. I had the feeling he was forcing himself not to lose his temper.

I nodded. "Merle screams and before long, someone appears. I can always move again after she disappears."

Severus sneered. "That gives me such comfort, Armilla."

There was a tense silence between us. Severus stilled looked furious and I felt miserable.

"I don't like disappointing you," I said quietly, looking at my knees.

"I know," my brother replied. I could feel his eyes on me, waiting for me to look at him. When I did, he spoke again.

"You mean a great deal to me, Armilla," he said, his black eyes fixed on mine. "This serious lack of judgement on your part reminds me just how much I would suffer if anything happened to you."

The lump in my throat suddenly grew larger.

"Not everyone in this castle wishes us well. We take every precaution we can to ensure our safety and it disappoints me that you made a conscious effort to walk straight into danger...on more than one occasion it seems."

That did it. Tears prickled in my eyes.

"I am not trying to upset you, Armilla," Severus said quietly, his gaze still stern. "I am merely trying to highlight what's at stake by pointing out the truth of our situation."

I wiped a tear from my face, feeling a little embarrassed.

"You may be of age next month, Armilla, but that doesn't mean I will stop caring about the decisions you make, whether they be sensible ones or not. I do not wish to dwell longer on this particular error, as I am fairly certain you will not do it again. I do wish you to promise me that if you find yourself in such a dangerous situation again, you inform me of it. On most occasions I trust you to make rational decisions; this time, I believe your emotions guided you instead of your head."

I nodded, taking the handkerchief my brother held out to me.

"Promise me, Armilla," he repeated.

"I promise," I said, fervently meaning it. I felt so small, but I knew I deserved to. Merle would have been just as furious in this situation.

"Right," Severus said, standing up. He took the icepacks from me and examined my ankle. He conjured a bandage and wrapped it expertly around my ankle. "I am going to cast an invisibility charm over us. I will heal your ankle and head as best I can in our own quarters." He waved his wand over us before pausing, looking down at me. "Seeing as you cannot walk, how do you wish to get there?"

I let out a shuddering breath. "I don't mind."

Severus sighed, pocketed his wand and then reached down and hoisted me into his arms, kissing me on the head at he did so. "Apart from desiring you to spend the next week in our quarters straight after classes as a reminder of what happened, we shall say no more about it."

I nodded, wincing from the pain in my ankle.

"I also do not wish for you to be alone in the castle. If you must go somewhere, ensure you are escorted."

Again, I nodded. I had expected that.

We were silent throughout the short journey to our quarters. Though we were invisible, I was glad that we met no one along the way. Once we were in the sitting room, Severus deposited me on the sofa and went into his lab to retrieve a few things.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. It had not been a stellar day. While I had initially been sorry that I'd been caught, I now felt nothing but guilt. I had been wrong. Very wrong. I supposed being wrong was hard for anyone to take, but as a Ravenclaw who prided herself on rational judgement and a good understanding, I was incredibly disappointed in myself. I wiped my eyes, imagining what Merle would have said.

Merle. It wasn't fair that this stupid curse had to look like Merle. I had loved Merle so much and seeing her in the form of a curse had me so conflicted. It wasn't fair. These thoughts brought on fresh, angry tears. I wanted to find the person responsible and cause as much pain as I could. If the person responsible suffered as much pain as I had over this, it wouldn't be enough.

"Don't make yourself uneasy, Armilla," Severus said, as he came back into the room carrying a few things. "I thought we were going to say nothing more about it."

"It's not that," I murmured, not looking at my brother.

"What then?" Severus sat down on the sofa next to me. I watched as he opened a small jar containing a healing salve. He put some on his fingers and then lightly rubbed it into the lump on my forehead. I felt a tingling sensation, but felt the lump begin to go down.

"Armilla?" he said, looking at me questioningly.

"It's immature," I said, wiping my eyes.

Severus shook his head slightly. "Let me make up my own mind about that."

"I keep thinking how angry Merle would have been about this and what I've been doing...and it makes me think how angry I get when I see her as a curse. It's not fair...I just want to cause pain to the person doing it."

Severus considered me for a moment, looking thoughtful. "What's immature in that?" he asked. "It sounds fairly logical to me, though you must refrain from engaging in anything that might get you in trouble with the law." He reached for my foot and I sat with it in his lap as he took off the bandage. "Leave causing the pain up to me."

I smiled. "That's not sensible advice."

He smirked. "I know, it's honestly how I feel."

I gave him a watery smile, watching as he rubbed more salve into my ankle. I watched as the swelling reduced a little, grateful that the pain eased further.

"Try to stay off this foot as much as possible this evening," said Severus, as he bandaged my ankle once more. "I believe it will be better in the morning and alright to walk on."

"Thank you," I said quietly, as he released my foot.

"Come," Severus, standing up and offering his hand. "Go and wash for dinner while I order it through the Floo."

Taking his hand, I got up, gingerly testing my foot and wincing a little as I put too much pressure on it. Severus supported me to my bedroom and from there I hobbled about, feeding Morag, who was sporting a ghastly shade of purple that evening, before washing my hands and face.

Severus was already sitting at the table when I went back out to the sitting room. Dinner had already arrived, courtesy of the house elves' magical delivery, and Severus was ladling it onto plates.

We ate quietly for several minutes before Severus started asking about my classes that day. I did not feel equal for conversation, as my mind was still on Harry and Merle. Finally, Severus changed the subject.

"I've been meaning to ask you about your birthday," he said, as he placed his cutlery on his plate and pushed it away.

"What about it?" I hadn't even thought about my birthday lately. I would be of age in a few weeks.

"Well, coming of age is an important time," Severus said, interlacing his fingers on the table as he leant forward. "We should mark the occasion in some way. Hopefully we can make it more special than last year, seeing as you won't have your OWLs."

I grimaced, thinking of the exam week around my birthday last year.

"It's a school day," Severus went on, "but is there anything you would like to do in the evening? I may be able to manage doing something on the following weekend."

"Do you think we could go home on that weekend?"

He nodded. "If the headmaster will spare me. I am sure Docky will be delighted to see you."

I smiled. "I'm sure he makes excellent birthday cakes."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "Oh good. You do realise that when Docky bakes, he consumes almost as much sugar as what's in the cake?"

I shook my head. "I think he's just naturally perky."

Severus gave a derisive snort. "He's taken you in. Back to your birthday, is there anything you'd like for a present?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

My brother gave me an exasperated look. "Well, that's helpful, Armilla. Now, seeing as it's customary to give a watch when a wizard or witch comes of age, would you like me to choose your new watch, or would you like to?

I looked down at my old watch, which Merle had given me when I had received my Hogwarts letter. It was a basic watch, a little scratched, but was still perfectly good.

"You don't have to have one, of course," Severus said, following my line of sight.

I shook my head, thinking that a newer, more elegant one would highlight a new era in my life. "No," I said softly. "I'd like a new one. You can choose it." I trusted him to, seeing as he hadn't gotten any of my gifts wrong yet.

He nodded, regarding me thoughtfully.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

* * *

"Did I get you in a lot of trouble?" Harry whispered, as he sat down next to me in Defence class after morning break on Monday.

"What do you think?" I whispered back, watching Slughorn converse with Hermione, who had her homework in her hand.

Harry gave me an anxious look, watching as I took my book from my bag. "I'd say I'm sorry," he said in a low voice, "but..." he showed me his hand where there was a faint scar. _I must not tell lies_.

Damn Umbridge.

"I know you're not sorry," I replied. "You said you'd tell my brother and you did."

"So how bad was it?" Harry asked, also taking out his book.

I shrugged. "I know I was in the wrong."

"No detention then?"

"No..." Well, technically I did, seeing as I was confined to our quarters for the whole week after classes. I wondered if this meant that he was going to give me irksome jobs to do. He hadn't mentioned the words detention or punishment, but he had certainly reminded me that morning that I was expected to be in our quarters that afternoon.

"How's your ankle?" Harry asked. "Snape healed it?"

"Yeah, it's a lot better today than it was on Saturday night."

"And what are you going to do about the collapsing?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "My, we _are_ inquisitive today."

Harry gave me a look. "_Armilla_."

I returned his look. "Harry."

He sighed. "I'm not being nosy. I actually _care_." He suddenly smirked. "After all, you and I might be related one day. Family is important you know."

I stared at him, bewildered. "What?"

Harry looked around him before whispering, "Ginny and I, you and George."

My eyes widened. "How-" I spluttered. I suddenly had a vision into the future. If I ended up marrying into Weasley family, I might gain many extra family members that would simply _delight_ Severus.

Harry waved a hand aside dismissively. "Just a hunch and you just proved me correct." He gave me a boyish grin.

I glared at him. "Are you sure you're not a Slytherin at heart?"

Harry glared back at me, though there was a trace of humour in his face. "You never know who we are at heart."

I shook my head. "How many others know?"

Harry shrugged. "I haven't said anything to anyone except Ginny and she seems to have little interest in the subject."

"That's because she knows," I said.

Harry frowned. "Hm," was all he said.

I looked over at Slughorn. The class should have started a few minutes ago, but he seemed deep in conversation with Hermione.

"You still haven't answered my question," whispered Harry. "What are you going to about the collapsing?"

"Try to avoid it, of course," I whispered back.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, you've been doing a smashing job so far."

I ignored him.

"I have something that might help, you know."

I looked over at him. "How can you help when you know so little about it?"

"I said _might_ help, Armilla. Honestly, you're very Snape-ish today."

"Thank you."

He snorted. "I have a map, the Marauders Map, actually. It can tell me who's in the castle and where they are."

"Really?" I said, curiously. "So I could find people who are near me, even if I cannot see them?"

Harry nodded. "I'm surprised Snape hasn't thought of it. He knows about the map. He tried confiscating it in our third year."

I smiled. "How surprising."

"You're being cursed, right?"

I sighed, exasperated at Harry's forwardness today. "Harry-"

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it? Someone means you harm." He shrugged. "I suppose it's not surprising, considering who your brother is, but it seems like they've gone to an awful amount of effort."

I didn't answer, which seemed to encourage Harry to continue.

"Anyway, the map would be useful for finding out about the curse."

"I don't think curses show up on a map, you know," I said dryly. It was pointless to deny the curse now. Harry seemed to understand too much.

"And what about the person casting it?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow. "My map shows where everyone is, unless they're in the Room of Requirement."

"Don't you think it would be a little difficult to follow me around the castle constantly and never be caught?" I shook my head. "I am far more inclined to believe that a curse is being renewed to find me in moments when I am alone."

To my annoyance, Harry looked more exasperated. "You're getting too much like your brother."

I raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"You're so accustomed to more complex magic through your study with him, so you naturally think that something as simple as a person following you around is ridiculous."

"It's nothing to do with that!" I sighed. "It just doesn't seem plausible, Harry. The idea of someone following my every move all year without me noticing-" I paused. Suspicion was starting to grow in my mind. Had I been a little too focused on the curse and not the caster? Getting my magic back had been the priority after all.

I hadn't exactly become paranoid when walking about the castle alone. It wasn't unusual to hear noises around in an old castle full of many people. A shiver ran up my spine as I thought of a person sneaking down corridors without me noticing. It was a very unsettling feeling.

"We've got that Defence project to work on," Harry said, as Hermione finished her conversation with Slughorn. "I'll bring the map to the library with me tomorrow night."

I nodded. "As long as we're not found in the corridor together again. I don't want to give Ruby Parkes anything more to gossip about."

Harry rolled his eyes as he glanced at Ruby, who was sitting on the other side of the room, looking a little sullen. "Odd girl," he muttered.

* * *

I returned to our quarters after classes that afternoon as Severus had instructed. Lisa and Terry escorted me down to the dungeons, though nether were inclined to linger. Lisa still feared that Severus was angry with her about Saturday night and was trying to avoid him at all costs.

Severus wasn't back yet, so I went to feed Morag instead. She was sporting a rather striking ice blue colour today and hooted in greeting as I entered my bedroom.

"Yes, wonderful," I said dryly as she fluttered her wings to show off her colour. As I fed her, my mind focused on the conversation I'd had with Harry earlier in the day. Would the map really help? If a student was behind the curse it wouldn't really prove anything by looking at the map. I had to be escorted everywhere now, so it was not like the person casting the curse would be obvious now.

I sighed, reaching out to stroke Morag. "What do you think?" I asked softly.

She hooted in response and fluttered her wings once more.

"I can't be alone, even to experiment with the map," I said. I shook my head. "Far too risky, Morag." Severus would be far more furious if I did such a thing.

She blinked at me before soaring around the room twice and settling on my desk.

"You're no help," I muttered, sitting down at my desk and pulling out my homework.

I worked steadily through my Charms essay and half an hour passed before I heard Severus arrive.

"Good afternoon," he said, stopping in my bedroom doorway. "Good day?"

"Okay," I said, looking up from my homework. "Nothing exciting."

He nodded. "I trust your friends escorted you here?"

"Yes, they did," I said, looking back at my homework.

"And Potter?"

I frowned, looking back at him. "What about him?"

Severus narrowed his eyes. "He didn't bombard you with questions?"

I considered him for a moment, thinking of Harry and the map, which Severus knew about. "He was curious," I said casually, "but then, I expected him to be." I wanted to ask Severus about the map, but I was worried that he'd take it from Harry to examine it himself. If the map proved to be useful, perhaps I could convince Harry to let Severus take a look, all in the name of putting a stop to dark magic.

"Armilla?"

I was jolted out of my reverie to see an impatient look on my brother's face. "Sorry."

He merely shook his head and turned to head to his own bedroom down the hall.

I waited to see if Severus was going to give me jobs to do around our quarters, but I didn't hear from him until he called me for dinner. By then, I had completed my Charms essay and had made a good start on my Transfiguration essay.

"I cannot find out anything of Rougier's whereabouts," Severus said, as he sat down at the table. "I've continued to make inquiries, though it's difficult to carry them out discreetly."

"And you don't know Draco Malfoy knows more?" I asked, taking my place at the table.

He shook his head. "No," he said simply. "I do not wish to ask Arian Bletchley about it either, as that would be far too forward and would obviously create a great deal of suspicion."

"I don't think Arian Bletchley would be in the mood to do you any favours," I said.

"Perhaps not," he agreed. "In any case, I do not believe Bletchley would not assist us if we needed it, despite what his mood instructs him to do. Until you marry, I daresay Bletchley believes he's in with a chance."

I made a noise of derision, making Severus give a slight smile.

"So Rougier's our main suspect in causing Father's death?" I asked as I reached for the bread.

Severus nodded. "I still believe she was heavily involved. If there's a connection with Marcel Rougier and his own financial issues, it's been well concealed."

We ate in silence for a few minutes before another thought suddenly struck me. "I have a Defence project to work on with Harry." I was confined to our quarters for the week. "We're able to work on it tomorrow night, but how can I meet him at the library?"

Severus' face darkened. "I see Horace Slughorn still insists on the two of you working together." He sighed, looking irritated. "Very well. I will escort you there tomorrow night and come back for you and hour and a half later. You are not to leave the library with Potter though."

I nodded. "Thank you."

He scowled in response.

* * *

"So Snape's escorting you around now?" Harry asked pleasantly as we walked to a table in the library. Severus had just left, but not before aiming a well meant scowl at Harry for daring to work with me.

"Shut up, Harry," I muttered, taking my bag off my shoulder.

He grinned in response. He sat down at the table and pulled out his wand. "_Muffliato_!" he said as he waved it.

I frowned. "My brother invented that spell."

Harry nodded. "It was one of the spells I managed to get from that book before Snape confiscated it."

I shook my head. "Well, lets see this map then."

Harry reached into his bag before pulling out a shabby piece of parchment. He looked around before tapping the parchment with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

* * *

Please leave a review!

Finally! I've been working on and off on this chapter for ages. I ended up doing most of it at Sydney airport before my holiday, as well as on long train rides. I've now seen The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, The Harry Potter Exhibition at Leavesden Studios, the Whomping Willow tree at Blenheim Castle (quite by accident – I didn't know it was there until a guide pointed it out), the dining hall in Oxford that was the inspiration for the Great Hall, and the stairs the First years use when they arrive at Hogwarts in Philosopher's Stone. A holiday with lots of Potter perks! I am ashamed to say that I could not finish a butterbeer as it was just far too rich and creamy.


	37. Slytherin

**From Chapter 36**

Harry reached into his bag before pulling out a shabby piece of parchment. He looked around before tapping the parchment with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

**Chapter 37**

I watched, mesmerised as many lines materialised on the parchment before my eyes, as if someone was drawing them with invisible ink. The lines covered every part of the parchment, some joining up and others criss-crossing as they headed in different directions. I leaned in, watching as curly green writing appeared.

_Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

_are proud to present_

_THE MARUADER'S MAP_

"Wow," I breathed, as I saw the tiny ink dots moving about on the parchment, each labelled with tiny writing. I pointed at one name in the Entrance Hall. "Is that really-"

"Filch, yep," Harry said. "And Mrs Norris right next to him."

"Where's Dumbledore?" I asked. He wasn't in his office, nor could I see him anywhere else. I looked closely at the map, scanning all the little dots. Professor McGonagall was in her office, as was my own Head of House, Professor Flitwick. Peeves seemed to be bouncing around a couple of corridors away.

Harry frowned, also looking carefully at the map. "He could be out," he said, nonchalantly. "He's been doing a fair bit of Order work lately."

I looked over at him. "Which is why you've spent a bit of time with him?"

Harry regarded me for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah."

"Has he told you much about his blackened hand?"

Again, Harry simply stared at me. "A little," he admitted. He looked back at the map before looking over at me again. "Do _you _know about it?"

I shook my head. "Not really." I didn't say that Severus had told me that Dumbledore was not going to get better. I assumed Harry already knew that.

"Hey look, Snape's out on the grounds," Harry said suddenly, pointing at the map. "He's heading for the gates. Did he tell you he was going somewhere?"

My heart seemed to skip a beat as I saw the dot labelled Severus Snape. He was indeed heading for the front gates.

"Think he got called?" Harry asked quietly.

Biting my lip, I nodded.

We watched together as the dot with my brother's name reached the front gates. A moment after it got on the other side of them, it vanished. Severus had disapparated.

I sighed. I hated it when Severus was called.

"I'd say it'll be okay, but I don't think that's entirely helpful," said Harry, turning his eyes back to the map.

I shook my head. "No, not really."

"I'll see what I can find," Harry said. "Ah, here we are." He placed his finger on the two marks in the library labelled _Harry Potter_ and _Armilla Snape_. "Hey, here's a thought," he said suddenly. "I wonder why I didn't pick up two Snapes on this map years ago. You could have found out who you were much sooner." He shook his head. "You'd think I would have noticed two Snapes on here. It's a name I've looked for frequently enough, especially when I've been sneaking around the castle."

I considered this for a moment. "I don't think I would have appeared as Armilla Snape," I said thoughtfully. "I probably would have appeared as Armilla Kemp. I bet it shows your legal name. It would only have changed when you change your name."

Harry nodded. "I suppose so. I guess it changes with maiden and married names too." He looked back at the map as I took my chocolate frog card out from a pocket in my robes. I saw that the wizard was waving at me, indicating a new message and I activated the card. A few lines appeared.

_I've been called. I sent a message to Professor Flitwick to escort you to Ravenclaw Tower in an hour and a half if I have not returned. Avoid leaving the library alone with Potter if you possibly can._

I shook my head slightly. It was strange how the simplest things like being alone with Harry Potter in the halls of Hogwarts created a potentially dangerous problem for Severus. I understood though; the last thing I wanted was for the Dark Lord to know that we were friends. Even worse, I didn't want to think about the Dark Lord's reaction if he knew that the sister of one of his most trusted Death Eaters was currently dating a Weasley blood traitor.

"There doesn't seem to be anything suspicious going on nearby," Harry murmured. "I don't recognise any unusual names." He suddenly paused. "Wait."

"What?" I asked, putting the card back in my pocket.

"Slughorn's heading to the library and he's with someone called Arian Bletchley."

My heart seemed to drop into my stomach. "Arian Bletchley?"

"Bletchley," Harry repeated. "Haven't all the Bletchleys graduated?"

I nodded.

Harry wrinkled his nose. "Slytherins."

I watched in trepidation as I saw the two dots labelled Horace Slughorn and Arian Bletchley reach the entrance to the library. I did not want to talk to Arian Bletchley; he couldn't seem to take no for an answer.

"_That _Bletchley?" Harry said, as Slughorn and Arian entered the library. "Wasn't he that bloke you were talking to at Slughorn's Christmas party?"

"That's the one," I said dismally. "Don't mention George."

Harry snorted. "As if I would." He waved his wand to cancel the silencing charm.

"There they are!" Slughorn called, still a good twenty feet away, earning him a disapproving glare from Madam Pince. "My two best students!"

"Ah ha!" Harry said under his breath. "Of course…Armilla, I'll need your help."

I looked at him, confused. "With what?"

Harry shook his head. "Just stay tuned and play along. What's your acting like?"

"Oh, I'm world renowned," I said dryly.

Harry folded the map and put it in his pocket. "Excellent."

"Good evening!" Slughorn said merrily when he reached us. "You remember Arian Bletchley?"

Harry and I both nodded. I only glanced momentarily at Arian before looking at Slughorn again.

"Actually, I don't recall having ever spoken to Harry Potter before," Arian said a little stiffly, looking at Harry.

"He's one of my best students," Slughorn said, rocking back and forth on his heels. "As well as Armilla, of course, which is why I partner them together. You should see them duel, Arian!"

This time I did look properly at Arian. He looked back at me, his face showing a hint of surprise. "Really? I'm sure Armilla's late father would have been _delighted_ to hear that."

I stopped myself from glaring at him, whilst Harry pulled a face at Arian. "What has her father got to do with it?"

Arian shrugged. "Nothing, I suppose."

I frowned. Arian had barely known my father as far as I knew. Of course, I knew my father would have hated the idea of me duelling anyone, let alone Harry Potter. He had preferred the idea of me sitting quietly at home, abiding by his old fashioned ideas.

Arian addressed himself to me. "Armilla, I am here because I need a word with you on something that can no longer wait. Would you mind stepping outside the library for a moment?"

I opened my mouth to state that I was not about to leave the library, but Slughorn, most surprisingly, got there first.

"Now then, Arian," he said jovially, "I did tell you that any word you need to have with Armilla may be communicated whilst you're in my sights. I know Professor Snape would not approve of my letting Armilla go alone with you."

Arian's face seemed to twitch. "I assure you, sir, my intentions are honourable. I have no desire to-"

"I know, I know," Slughorn boomed, still rocking on his heels, "but I must insist, Arian. If it is so important that you must be alone with Armilla to impart some knowledge, I suggest that you contact Professor Snape to seek his permission."

Arian raised an eyebrow. "Am I to infer, sir, that I've been banned from speaking to Armilla in private?"

"Of course not, Arian," I said, a little impatiently. "You know my brother would not approve of any visitor coming into the school with a request to speak alone with me."

"It _is_ highly unusual," Harry put in, looking between Arian and I.

"We don't need _your_ input, Potter," Arian snapped.

"Come on then," I said, getting up. I looked over at Slughorn, who was looking at Arian with a bemused expression. "Professor, we'll go over there by the Ancient Runes section. You'll be able to see us there."

"Certainly," he replied, taking my seat. "Potter and I'll have a chat while we're waiting."

"Brilliant," Harry said. "I do have something I wish to speak to you about, Professor."

Slughorn's face fell. He made to get up again. "Harry, I've told you-"

"Oh no," Harry interjected. "Not that, sir. I just want to discuss the latest assignment Armilla and I have been working on."

Slughorn settled back into his seat again, still looking a little suspicious. "Oh…well, go on then Mr Potter."

Arian looked at me and then waved an arm for me to lead the way. Once we were over at the Ancient Runes section, a good twenty feet away from Slughorn and Harry, Arian took out his wand and non-verbally cast a spell, no doubt stopping our conversation from being overheard.

"Wait," I said, before Arian could begin. "I need to know that it's Arian Bletchley I'm talking to. Who did you use a spell on at Father's party and what spell was it?"

Arian smirked. "That idiot, Marcus Flint, was drunk, and I used Expelliarmus on him."

I nodded. "Correct."

He gave a small laugh. "Well, that little incident certainly put me in your father's good books."

I shrugged. "I should say so."

Arian's smile faltered a little. "I have to tell you something very serious."

I nodded, indicating for him to go on. Already it felt like my stomach was trying to find a new location. What could be so important?

"I've never mentioned to you that my Transfiguration Master in France is Marcel Rougier."

I feigned surprise. Of course, I already knew that; Draco Malfoy had let that little fact slip. "A relation of Zita Rougier?"

"Zita Snape, you mean," he said quietly, meeting my eye.

I looked at him, startled. "How did you-"

Arian shook his head. "She hasn't kept her marriage to your father a secret from her brother. As such, I know too."

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "And they let you in on their family affairs?"

Arian smirked again. "You'd be surprised."

I did not know what to make of this. What did Arian know? Did he know that Zita was also pregnant with Father's child?

"Arian," I said quietly. "Tell me what it is you've come to say."

"You need to be on your guard, Armilla." Arian's face was very serious. "I know what Zita is capable of."

Oh, I knew what she was capable of. Just thinking about Father's kidnap the year before and the evening in Rougier's presence was enough to make me shudder.

"Marcel Rougier made a financial blunder last August," Arian went on. "Quite a large one, in fact. He lost the family money that he and his sister had inherited. He owed…and still owes money to a lot of people and even now, he's receiving threats from those he's indebted to."

"Threats?" I repeated. "Like what?"

Arian shrugged. "The usual," he said indifferently. "Hexing him, hexing his family…"

I shook my head. I didn't know if I was more disturbed by the threats or by Arian's indifference.

"Zita had been strange about it all," Arian continued. "She normally visited her brother regularly, but she had been disappearing for weeks on end around the time Marcel went bankrupt."

That's because she was with Father, I guessed. He was still in hiding in August and as far as I knew, Rougier had stayed with him. She had _married_ him after all.

"Zita then had the idea to marry your father. I have no idea how she got him to consent to marriage, but as you know, she was successful. She hoped that any money she received from Aurelius Snape would be enough to settle her brother's debts."

I shook my head. "And it wasn't?"

Arian shook his head too. "He settled debts with a few of his creditors, but a lot of money is still owed elsewhere. I don't think your father was too liberal with giving his new wife a lot of money. Marcel became increasingly frustrated that Zita could only contribute a minimal amount to his debts."

"How do you know all this in such detail?"

"I'm a trusted apprentice," Arian said.

I narrowed my eyes. "Who is currently telling me his master's business?"

Arian scowled. "Yes, but it's for your safety."

"Go on."

"Zita would never say a lot, but she had the idea that your father was upset with you." Arian's look implied that he wanted me to fill in the details. When I remained silent, he sighed and continued. "Zita was angered to discover that your father had no intention of changing his will after marrying her. She assumed that the new wife would inherit Snape Manor and all its assets."

Now I couldn't help but smirk. Merlin, I loathed that woman. As much as I didn't want to inherit anything that had been Father's, having it all go to Rougier was another story.

"That's when it got out of hand," Arian said, rolling his eyes.

I looked at him, incredulously. "Are you saying it wasn't out of hand before that?"

Arian didn't smile. "Well, this last piece of information wasn't revealed to me easily. In fact, Zita would be furious if she knew I know. I got the information from a rather drunken Marcel last night and the made it my priority to see you today."

I looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

"You know that Zita is…with child?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes."

"You know that there's a section of your father's will that states that the witch or wizard who inherits the estate must have magical ability?"

I frowned at him. "Zita has revealed that much?"

Arian had a question of his own. "Have you noticed in problems with your magic since you've started Sixth Year?"

That was it. I was sure my stomach was now lodged somewhere near my heart. I did my best not to show that I was bothered by the question. _Very_ bothered.

"That's an odd question to ask."

"It's not an odd question if your magic has been tampered with," Arian responded, gazing at me.

I tried to maintain my composure. "Arian, what do you know?"

"I know that it has been Zita's goal for the past year, even before she was pregnant, to try and rid you of your magic. That's what I found out from Marcel last night. Once you were rid of your magic and were, let's face it, a _squib_, then Zita's baby would inherit the estate, thus securing the future of the Rougier family."

"And where is Zita now?" I asked, using all my will to quell the trepidation creeping up inside me. Rougier was behind the ghostly Merle. It made sense that it was her.

Arian shook his head. "I don't know. Marcel doesn't know. I have seen her occasionally in the past year, but she's never spoken of what she's been up to. You haven't answered my question about your magic."

"My magic's fine," I lied. "But I do care that no one knows where Zita is."

"Which is why I came to warn you," Arian said. "I care about you, Armilla."

"But not enough to come to me sooner," I said, watching him closely. "You didn't say anything when you knew Zita was doing the best she could to take Father's money."

Arian glared at me. "It's enough that I am breaking with my master's confidence to tell you now, isn't it?"

I folded my arms. "And how did Zita cope with my father's death? Being newly married, one could only imagined she was devastated."

Arian flinched. "I could not tell you. Zita tends to keep her emotions to herself…and like I told you, I have not seen a lot of her."

Something was not adding up. If Zita had been trying to rid me of my magic to ensure that her child would become the heir to the Snape estate, wouldn't it be natural to assume that Father's sudden death was woven somewhere into her plans?

"Thank you for telling me, Arian," I said honestly. "I appreciate it. I really must get back-"

"Wait," Arian said, authority very evident in his tone. "I am not finished."

I could almost hear Severus' voice in my head, telling me to stay controlled, no matter how much I wanted to hex him.

"Yes?" I said, feigning politeness.

"George Weasley," he said, giving me a knowing look.

I gave him a surprised look. "What about him?"

"Are you dating him?"

"No," I said coolly, "not that it's any of your business."

Arian's face relaxed a little. "I had thought-"

"Arian," I said, "I need to get back to my homework now. There is no point discussing this."

I turned and walked back to where Slughorn was still sitting in my seat, conversing with Harry. Harry looked strangely cheerful. Arian followed, looking a little disgruntled.

"I must take my leave, sir," Arian said politely to Slughorn, when we reached their table. "I cannot stay away too long, but thank you for your assistance."

"Not at all, my boy, not at all," said Slughorn merrily. "And give my regards to your parents, won't you?"

Arian inclined his head. "Of course, sir." He then nodded at me. "Good evening, Armilla." He jerked his head a little at Harry. "Potter." With that, he turned and swept away without a backward glance.

"Old family, the Bletchleys," Slughorn said, watching Arian's retreating back. "Taught his parents at school. Such a shame the family is not as affluent as they once were."

I said nothing. Slughorn really should not have made such a comment to Harry and I. In the back of my mind, I wondered if Father had known that fact about the Bletchleys. I assumed he had, but had still valued their pureblood status.

"Professor," said Harry suddenly, "might we have a word with you in your office? In private, you know. Armilla and I have something we need to speak to you about."

Slughorn looked from Harry to me and back again. "You do, do you?" He looked suspicious. "Harry, you know I-"

"_Please_, sir," Harry said earnestly, "this is important and if you only knew how Armilla feels you'd hear us out."

I frowned at Harry. What the hell was he talking about? Suddenly his words earlier dawned on me. Ah, my acting skills. It would have helped if he had told me what I was acting _for_. Honestly, what if I didn't agree with it?

"Oh, very well, very well," Slughorn said, standing up. "Come along then."

We quickly gathered up our books and followed him out. "Sir," I said, catching up with him. "Professor Flitwick is supposed to be escorting me back to Ravenclaw Tower in just over an hour. Are you able to walk us back to the library? I'm not allowed-"

"Don't worry, Armilla," said Slughorn, tapping his nose. "I will walk you back here. I know how Severus feels about you and Harry." He laughed. "I cannot tell you how many times he's hinted at me to have you and Harry work with different partners. I am having none of it. I cannot think of two people more suited as partners in this subject."

"Thank you, sir," said Harry, cheerfully.

I rolled my eyes at him behind Slughorn's back.

Several minutes later we were in Slughorn's rather decorative office. "Have a seat," Slughorn said, gesturing to the rather squishy armchairs in front of his desk. "Now, what can I assist you with Harry?"

Harry was silent for a moment, clearly deliberating over his choice of words. He hadn't sat down. Instead he had wondered over to a table full of photographs. "My mother," he said, picking up one of the frames. "You once told me she was one of your favourite students."

Slughorn's face darkened and he immediately open his mouth to speak, but Harry continued. "But I never got to know her, Professor. She died at the hand of the Voldemort."

Slughorn flinched a little. "Oh dear. Yes, that was – terrible indeed. Terrible…terrible." He looked over at me. "Both of you. Your mother died a long time ago too, Armilla?"

Harry immediately looked over in my direction, curiosity evident on his face. The circumstances of my mother's death weren't generally known.

"Yes, Professor," I said quietly. "She died when I was a baby. Death Eaters went on a raid and killed lots of people. My mother was one of them."

Slughorn looked a little sickened. "Hazel Merrigan," he said quietly. "I remember her." He looked down at his hands for a moment. "I don't – don't suppose either of you remember it?" he asked awkwardly.

I shook my head.

"No – well, I was only one when they died," said Harry. "But I've found out pretty much what happened since. My dad died first. Did you know that?"

"I – I didn't," said Slughorn in a hushed voice.

I was feeling very uncomfortable now. What was Harry playing at? The expression on his face seemed to show one of sadness, but I sensed there was something quite Slytherin lurking underneath.

"Yeah…Voldemort murdered him and then stepped over his body towards my mum," said Harry, placing the frame back on the table.

Slughorn gave a great shudder, but did not seem able to tear his horrified gaze away from Harry's face.

"He told her to get out of the way," Harry continued. "He told me she needn't have died. He only wanted me. She could have run."

I looked at Harry, horrified. His mum had had the choice of stepping aside? That certainly didn't seem to be the Dark Lord's style. Why would he have offered? I felt sick at the thought of it all.

"Oh dear," breathed Slughorn. "She could have…she needn't…that's awful…"

"It is, isn't it?" said Harry, in a voice barely more than a whisper. "But she didn't move. Dad was already dead, but she didn't want me to go too. She tried to plead with Voldemort, but he just laughed…"

I felt tears prick my eyes. I knew Harry had a reason for telling the story, but the truth of it was just sickening.

"That's enough!" said Slughorn suddenly, raising a shaking hand. "Really, my dear boy, enough…I'm an old man…I don't need to hear…I don't want to hear…"

"I forgot," said Harry, gesturing to the photograph of his mother. "You really liked her, didn't you?"

Lily Potter had certainly been rather beautiful. She had the same bright green eyes as Harry and long dark red hair. My heart felt constricted as I looked over at the photograph. I had long held a suspicion that Severus had held feelings for her.

"Liked her?" said Slughorn, his eyes now brimming with tears. "I don't imagine anyone who met her wouldn't have liked her…very brave…very funny…it was the most horrible thing…" He looked over at me. "And she and Severus were such good friends at school. Such brilliant Potions students…I always made sure they were partnered."

"She and Professor Snape were friends," Harry acknowledged. "Professor Snape told me so himself months ago."

I cringed, thinking of the day that Severus had taken away the book that had had Harry so enraptured, mistakenly thinking that the two people who had written notes in it were his parents. Severus had admitted to Harry that he'd had a friendship with Lily.

"And Armilla has to go through the pain of not knowing if her brother is coming back every time the Dark Lord calls," Harry said heavily. "Did you know that Professor Snape was called tonight, Professor? Did you know that Armilla has no other family? Her mother _died_ because of Voldemort."

Slughorn didn't answer him; his tearful face was now focused on me. "You poor dear," he said softly. "Of course, I knew that…but had never stopped to think that…Oh, Armilla."

"Do you want the risk Professor Snape's taking to be in vain, Professor?" Harry went on. "Do you want him to risk his life while you know that it's you who may hold the key to the knowledge of how to truly destroy Voldemort?"

I looked over at Harry, alarmed. What was it that Harry wanted? This was all very disconcerting.

"And you won't help Lily's son," said Harry. "she gave me her life, but you won't give me her memory."

A memory? That was what Harry wanted? This was all very strange.

"Don't say that," Slughorn whispered. "It isn't a question…if it were to help you, of course…but no purpose can be served…"

"It can," said Harry clearly. "Dumbledore needs information. I need information." Harry finally sat down in the seat next to me. He leaned across Slughorn's desk, his face very serious. "I am the Chosen One. I have to kill him. I need that memory."

_Harry_ had to kill the Dark Lord. The thought of having that responsibility was utterly repulsive. I almost didn't want to know what Harry had been discussing with Dumbledore during their session together.

Slughorn was paler than ever and his shiny forehead gleamed with sweat. "You _are_ the Chosen One?"

"Of course I am," said Harry calmly.

"But then…my dear boy…you're asking a great deal…you're asking me, in fact, to aid you in your attempt to destroy-"

"You don't want to get rid of the wizard who killed Lily Evans? The wizard who Professor Snape is risking his life to serve, knowing that Armilla suffers every time he is called?"

I wanted to add my support to what Harry was asking, but quite frankly, Harry had put me in a very difficult position. Suppose the Dark Lord or one of his followers ever did find out about all this…I would be placing my brother in a very precarious position by being so earnest in desiring to help Harry get this memory. To be so open about destroying the Dark Lord… It reminded me once again how careful I had to be in my position. I hoped that Harry wouldn't take my silence as an offence.

"Armilla, Harry, of course I want to see him destroyed, but – "

"You're scared he'll find out you helped me?"

Slughorn said nothing; he looked terrified.

"Be brave like my mother, Professor…"

Slughorn raised a pudgy hand and pressed his shaking fingers to his mouth. I had never seen an adult look so childlike.

"I am not proud…" he whispered through his fingers. "I am ashamed of what – of what that memory shows…I think I may have done great damage that day…"

"You'd cancel out anything you did by giving me the memory," said Harry. "It would be a very brave and noble thing to do."

Slughorn looked at me and I looked evenly back at him. "I can see the Slytherin in both of you, you know," he said softly. "Harry, you have been manoeuvring me, and Armilla, I know you may agree with his sentiments but you cannot say anything."

Again, I said nothing. I looked from Slughorn to Harry, who looked a little guilty.

"I didn't think that through," Harry said quietly, looking at me. "I'm sorry, Armilla."

"All I will say," I said slowly, "is that having my brother live through the war is of paramount importance to me…and I cannot be sure that he will…that any of us will, but I am determined to do what I can."

There was silence.

Then, very slowly, Slughorn put his hand in his pocket and pulled out his wand. He put his other hand inside his robes and took out a small, empty bottle. Looking into my eyes and then Harry's eyes, Slughorn touched the tip of his wand to his temple and withdraw it, so that a long thread of silver memory stretched until it broke and swung, silvery bright, from the wand. Slughorn lowered it into the bottle where it coiled, then spread, swirling like gas. He corked the bottle with a trembling hand and then passed it across the table to Harry.

"You're a good boy," said Slughorn, tears trickling down his face and into his walrus moustache. "And you've got her eyes…just don't think too badly of me once you've seen it…"

* * *

"Well then," I said, after casting a silencing charm around Harry and I in the library. Slughorn had just escorted us back to the library, looking a little worse for wear. I actually felt a little bad for him. "Care to explain what that was all about?"

Harry sighed, actually looking a little tired himself. "I'm so sorry, Armilla. I was thinking of a means to an end and I didn't consider all the implications it might have for you. I've been trying to get that memory from Slughorn for ages and I know how highly he thinks of you…and of Snape. It suddenly seemed like a good idea to have your presence in another attempt to secure the memory."

"I'm glad you appreciate how difficult the situation was," I said. "It must be something important for you to place me in that sort of situation, Harry."

Harry now looked a little worried. "You're not going to tell Snape are you?"

"What if Slughorn mentions it?" I said. "Not that I think he's likely to, but there's always a trail. Dumbledore will be sure to ask how you managed it if, as you say, you've been struggling to get the memory. Once you're honest with him, which I'm sure you'll be, Dumbledore might tell my brother."

Harry looked a little deflated. "Oh good. Now I am almost certain to have detention for the rest of Sixth Year."

I shrugged. "I'll do my best to persuade him that your actions were those of a Slytherin."

Harry smiled a little at that. "How much sway to you have with Snape?"

I laughed. "When it comes to _you_?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fair enough."

"You still haven't answered my question. Why did you need a memory from Slughorn? Why was he so worried about giving it to you? How can it help defeat the Dark Lord?"

"That's three questions," Harry pointed out.

"I'm a Ravenclaw," I said dryly. "I have a thirst for knowledge, remember?"

Harry sighed again. "I cannot tell you everything," he said. "I cannot tell you about the memory because I don't know exactly what it is and Dumbledore's rather secretive about everything."

"Dumbledore has secrets everywhere," I said, thinking of Draco Malfoy and little Lydia Riddle.

Harry looked curiously at me for a moment because looking at his watch. "I really should check if Dumbledore is back by now. He'll be wanting to see this memory." He looked around the library at the other students here and there. I could see Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein bent over a few books several tables away. Ruby Parkes was wandering between the rows of books, looking a little distracted. At least she wasn't coming over to us to imply that Harry and I liked each other again. She drove me crazy. "Are you allowed to be left alone?"

"Madam Pince is here," I said, "and there are plenty of other students about so I'll be fine. We can work on our assignment tomorrow night."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Thanks." He started rummaging in his bag. "Listen, would you like to borrow the Marauder's Map for a couple of days? You did do me a big favour after all and I can only hope that it might help you."

"That would be great, thanks," I replied, holding my hand out for it. "What words do you use to activate it again?"

"_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_," he said, placing it in my hand. "And you wipe it by saying _mischief managed_."

"Right," I laughed. "Very creative."

* * *

I entered my dormitory later that evening, to find Lisa and Padma already there. Flitwick had just walked me to Ravenclaw Tower and I had left him having a chat with Terry and a couple of Fifth and Seventh Years in the common room. Our Head of House occasionally made an appearance in our common room, so it wouldn't have been considered strange that I had arrived there with him.

"Where are the others?" I asked, making my way over to my bed. Lisa, who seemed to be in the middle of writing a letter, looked up. "I think Mandy is in the common room trying to chat up one of the Seventh Year boys," she said. "She's given up on Anthony Goldstein. I have no idea where Ruby is."

"She was in the library an hour ago," I said. "She'd better hurry up or she'll be caught out after curfew."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Padma said. "She received a detention from Flitwick last week for being caught near Ravenclaw Tower after ten o'clock in the evening. Stupid really. Ravenclaw lost twenty points."

"Oh, get over it," Ruby said, walking into the room. "I am here like a good girl, see?"

Padma laughed. "Keep it that way. We don't want to lose any more points."

Ruby rolled her eyes, walking to the bathroom. "I am going to go and take an incredibly long shower."

"And I am turning in for the night," said Padma, closing the curtains around her bed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Lisa and I replied.

I didn't immediately get ready for bed. Instead, I drew the curtains around my bed and pulled the parchment Harry had given me from my bag. I tapped my wand on the parchment and very quietly spoke the words to activate the map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Within seconds, I had a full view of Hogwarts and its occupants again. I immediately started looking for our quarters in the dungeons to see if Severus was back yet. No one was there.

I sighed, looking for Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was certainly back, as I could see a small dot with his name, standing quite still in his office. Harry's dot was there in Dumbledore's office too. I wondered if Dumbledore had only just returned or if Harry had been in there for ages. Slughorn's worried face appeared in my mind. I wondered what the memory might be. Had Slughorn done something terrible? Unforgivable?

I heard a noise outside my curtains and heard Mandy talking to Lisa. They were having a muffled conversation about how repulsive Mandy found one of the Seventh Year boys.

I looked back at the map, looking for Ravenclaw Tower. Finding it, I noticed that Professor Flitwick was now in the corridor outside the common room, heading towards his office. Terry was still down in the common room with a few other boys.

Smiling, I found my dormitory and put my finger on my own name. There I was and there was Lisa close by. There was Mandy and there was Padma. And in the bathroom, there was…

Zita Snape.

* * *

Yes, still here. Please review! I have been leading up to this moment for a long time and I know some reviewers were very suspicious about a certain character!

Credit to HBP, as a lot of Slughorn/Harry text was borrowed for this chapter


	38. Three's a Crowd

**Chapter 38**

I sat, quite frozen, scarcely believing my eyes. Zita Snape…

I opened my mouth in horror as the meaning of this came crashing into my mind. How long had she been impersonating Ruby Parkes? Was this recent or had I been sharing a dormitory with my former governess, the wife of my father, for months and months?

I shuddered. The girl in there, apparently taking a long shower, was a criminal on many counts. And it was Rougier who was responsible for the ghostly Merle. It _had_ to be her. I couldn't call her _Zita_ in my mind and certainly not Zita Snape.

And _where_ was the real Ruby Parkes?

Anger swept through me as I thought of what trouble the painted old hag had caused. My magic had been erratic all year thanks to her and I was lucky to have what magic I had left. She had control of some of my magic as it was caught up in that curse. The curse that no one else could see.

I shook my head. Very clever. Had Rougier thought of this all on her own or had she had help?

But what to do now? I could go into the bathroom and confront her, but a nagging feeling told me that was not the sensible course of action. True, I could probably catch her off guard, but this was something that needed to be handled quietly. The other Ravenclaws did not know about what had been happening all year, except for Lisa and Terry.

To be truthful, I was a little apprehensive about an open attack. This was the person storing some of my magic with her own magic. Surely her own magic must have been affected by it? What if a simple stupefy from me led my magic to recognise more of my magic within her? Would the spell complete itself correctly if such a thing happened? Would my magic be willing to stupefy the person concealing more of my magic?

Of course, nothing might happen at all. I might be able to stun her without any mishap. But was I willing to risk it? Suppose it backfired? Suppose something terrible happened? What if my magic latched onto hers?

I looked down at the map again, hoping that Severus might be back. No such luck.

Making a decision, I took out my chocolate frog card and activated it. I immediately composed a message to my brother.

_I have found out that Zita Rougier is here at Hogwarts. She has been impersonating Ruby Parkes and I'm almost certain that she's the cause of the ghostly Merle. I saw Arian Bletchley earlier this evening and he said that it's been Rougier's goal to take away my magic. Ruby is in the bathroom at the moment, but I do not want to confront her as I am not sure how my magic will react to her. I am going to go to Professor Flitwick and ask his advice. I'll take Lisa and Terry with me._

Taking a deep breath and letting it out again, I opened the drapes around my bed. Lisa was sealing her letter and Mandy was getting ready for bed. I couldn't yet hear the shower running and this made me smile grimly. I assumed the Zita Rougier was every bit as vain as I remembered at Father's house, even in another body. Come to think of it, I hadn't much liked Ruby for ages now. She had gone from being a studious, quiet and friendly student to a trouble-making gossip rather quickly. After having Mandy become moody during Sixth Year, I had just assumed that this was Ruby's version of growing up.

"I hope Terry is still down in the common room," I said to Lisa, thankful that Mandy wasn't looking in our direction. I jerked my head at the door, causing Lisa to give me a confused look. "I forgot to give him back that Charms homework we borrowed last week." I held the now folded Marauders Map in my hand.

I walked to the door as Lisa jumped up. "Well, he's still got mine too," she said, following me. "I'll ask for it back."

We didn't speak until we were halfway down the stairs to the common room.

"What was that all about?" Lisa hissed. "What Charms homework? What's the matter?"

"Never mind," I whispered back. "Please trust me for now."

"But-"

"Please," I said earnestly, turning back to look at her. Lisa now looked worried. "This is important."

We reached the common room and nearly bumped into Terry, who was about to climb the stairs.

"Evening," he said cheerfully.

"Terry, come with us," I said quietly, pulling him away from the stairs.

"What? Why?" he said, looking surprised. "Where are we going?"

"Never mind."

There were still people about, either studying or chatting. Thankfully, no one paid us any notice as we headed to the door.

"Come on," I said, opening the door and looking behind me. "Quickly."

Once we were two corridors away from Ravenclaw Tower, I filled my friends in about Harry's map and what I had seen. Their faces had steadily become more and more horrified.

"Thank you for not acting Gryffindor about it," said Terry, looking stricken. "Some people would have gone straight in and confronted her."

"And you're right," Lisa added, almost jogging to keep up with me, "your magic may not react well if it recognised it's own kind within Ruby – I mean Rougier. Oh Armilla, we've been _sleeping_ in the same room all year!"

"I know," I said, disgusted. I pulled out the Marauders Map and had another look. Zita Rougier was now in our dormitory, her dot hovering near Mandy.

"Flitwick had better be in his office," Terry said.

"He is," I said, checking the map, seeing that the dot labelled _Filius Flitwick_ was right nearby.

We reached Flitwick's office door a few seconds later and I knocked on it rapidly.

A moment later the door opened to reveal our Head of House. He frowned when he saw the three of us at his office door.

"My goodness," he said, looking up at us, "it's after curfew. What has happened?"

"Professor," I said, "I need your help. It's about Ruby Parkes. It's not really her."

Flitwick's frown deepened. "What are you talking about, Miss Snape?"

"It must be Polyjuice Potion, sir," Lisa said earnestly. "What else could it be?"

"Look, Professor," I said, showing him the map.

"What in Merlin's name is this?" Flitwick squeaked, his eyes bulging slightly as he took in the contents of the map. "Now this is an impressive example of advanced Charms work."

"Severus is back!" I said suddenly, seeing the dot labelled with my brother's name in the grounds near the gates. The dot was moving rather quickly. He must have gotten my message.

"My goodness!" Flitwick said again, spotting my brother's dot. "Amazing."

"Zita Rougier, my old governess, is impersonating Ruby Parkes," I said hastily, trying to find Ravenclaw Tower again. "Look she's…"

Her dot wasn't there in the dormitory.

"Where is she?" Terry asked, leaning over Lisa's shoulder for a better look.

"Stupefy!"

A jet of red light burst between Lisa and I, hitting Flitwick squarely in the chest. He stumbled backwards to the floor, completely frozen.

Dropping the map, I whirled around, whipping out my wand, as did Lisa and Terry.

There stood who we thought had been Ruby Parkes, wand in hand. How had she managed to move so quickly?

"Stupefy!" Rougier yelled.

I managed to block the spell just in time. A strange, magnetic like force seemed to hit my wand, making it tremble in my hand.

"Expelliarmus!" Lisa and Terry both shouted, but both of their spells were swiftly blocked.

"Petrificus Totallus!" I yelled.

"Child's play," Rougier sang, blocking the spell. Again, my wand trembled as it came into contact with Rougier's magic. I felt my magic surging within me. Something felt strangely unsettled.

"Stupefy!" we shrieked, but Rougier was too good. Who knew she knew how to duel so well?

Rougier flicked her wand, casting non-verbal magic this time and I swiftly blocked it, using the shield rebound charm Severus had taught me. I pushed it back with all my might, only to have it blocked once more. I could feel magical power thumping through my veins.

A sudden shriek was heard from Lisa and she collapsed to the floor, blood gushing from her arm.

"Noooooo!" Terry yelled, as I cast my own non-verbal hex at Rougier, delivering it with force I had not felt in a long time.

Rougier actually staggered this time, surprise evident on her face, but she cackled at she blocked it. "Our big brother has been teaching us, has he?" she simpered.

I threw another hex at her, bringing up a mentally cast shield to block anything she might retaliate with.

Rougier blocked it again, baring her teeth, as my wand shook in my hand. It looked most unsettling to see the insane grin on Ruby's face. "Playing with the grownups now!"

I swiftly piled curses into a bubble hex, a spell courtesy of Severus, and hurled it at Rougier, who screamed as she blocked it.

"Stupefy!" Terry shouted, as I cast another bubble hex.

Rougier only just managed to block the two of us before throwing a severing charm at Terry, who wasn't quick enough this time. He yelled in pain as the poorly aimed hex pierced the side of his face, making him stagger backwards, hitting the back of his head.

All of a sudden, Merle was standing between Rougier and I, hurling hexes of her own at me. I blocked them as best I could, but the magnitude of her hexes made a strange power run through me and it was all I could do to stay upright.

"What the _hell_?!" I heard Terry shriek in reaction to Merle's appearance.

Rougier began casting more hexes of her own and I didn't think I'd be able to block both her and Merle for much longer, no matter how powerful I felt with the magic surging through me. It felt strangely constricted.

Merle suddenly opened her mouth and let out a high laugh, which repulsed me to the core and made my blood boil. I hurled two hexes with as much force as I could muster, one at each of them. It made both Rougier and I stagger and caused Merle to fade momentarily.

My eye suddenly caught the flashing of the emerald on my bracelet and acting purely on instinct, I quickly transferred my wand to my right hand and raised my left wrist, verbally instructing the emerald to protect my magic. As I hurled yet another hex at Rougier, a green beam shot out from the emerald and hit Merle, piercing her. She let out a high-pitched scream that echoed up and down the corridor.

Rougier and I kept duelling, both intent on seeing it to the end. Likewise, the ghostly Merle kept up her own tirade of spells. Rougier kept casting enraged glances at Merle. The beam had not moved from where it had pierced the ghostly figure, but all of a sudden, jets of greenish light burst from Merle and completely encased the three of us in a triangle. Rougier looked as surprised as I was. Merle looked as strong as ever, despite being pierced. The string-like jets of green that surrounded us were still attached to her. The beam from my bracelet was as strong as ever.

It was then that I heard thundering footsteps at the end of the corridor behind me. As Rougier and I continued to throw hex after hex at each other, causing us both to stagger, I felt more pressure as outside spells rebounded off the triangular encasement. It made the magic surging within me shake in a most unsettling way, like it was being attacked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dumbledore, McGonagall and Severus hurling spells at the encasement, only to have them bounce off.

As they tried harder, Rougier and I both staggered. Merle screamed, once again echoing all around us.

"Stop!" I shrieked at them. "You're making it worse!"

At first they didn't listen to me; all three kept trying to break their way in. Severus' focus was trained on the green encasement, his face full of fury, matched only by Dumbledore's expression.

I panted, feeling winded as my wand hand shook. The green beam from my emerald flashed.

"Stop!" I screamed at them. "That's my magic you're attacking!"

They halted immediately and Rougier, who now looked a little faint, immediately resumed throwing hexes. I blocked them with a rebound shield, this time causing them to return with twofold power, causing Rougier to scream again as she blocked them.

"Armilla!" I heard Severus shout and his voice sounded stricken.

"You cannot interfere with that sort of magic, Severus!" Dumbledore shouted. "Lower your wand! Harry! I told you to stay behind us!"

"Armilla!" I heard Merle scream. "Armilla! Come and join me!"

I pushed a mental blocking shield up, blocking Rougier but casting no hexes as I instead pushed the remainder of my concentration into the emerald on my bracelet.

_I control you_, I thought, looking at Merle as the beam from the emerald got stronger. _The power within you comes from me. Release the dark magic binding you and return to me._

The beam became brighter and wider and Merle hovered closer to me, but Rougier was not letting go without a fight. Her hexes suddenly became stronger and I doubled the force of my mental shield.

I ignored the shouts I heard around me and an idea suddenly came to me. After blocking another two hexes, I disconnected the beam from the emerald to Merle.

_Separate us!_ I thought. _Shield us from her!_

Green light burst from my bracelet again and I quickly used my wand to guide it around Merle and I, thus securing us in our own circle inside the triangle.

Rougier screamed in anger as her hexes rebounded off the barrier. I heard gasps come from people outside the triangle.

"That's it, Armilla!" Dumbledore called, though his voice sounded muffled. I swayed on the spot, exhausted from directing the shield. My limbs now felt like jelly and my wand arm, also my bracelet arm, was shaking worse than ever.

"Stay focused!" Severus shouted. "Don't let go!"

The ghostly Merle now seemed confused. Without Rougier having direct access to her, she couldn't cast hexes of her own.

I ensured the barrier around us was going to remain sealed before I directed my wand away and pointed my wand at Merle instead.

_Smother the enemy_, I instructed the emerald as it hit Merle. _Take back what is mine and return it to me_. I immediately forced Merle to burst forward, attaching herself to our circular barrier as if by means of a sticking charm. The barrier immediately stretched forward from the impact, just like elastic. Merle and the barrier lunged at Rougier and immediately had her smothered; the barrier changed shape and twisted itself around her as I directed it with my wand and Merle, letting out a high cackle, disappeared inside her.

Rougier let out an almighty scream and suddenly looked like she was possessed. There was a split second where she froze, mid-scream, a look of horror in her eyes. The magic inside me was frantic, making me shake worse than ever.

"Maintain control, Armilla!" I heard my brother's voice shout. "Keep going!"

_Now_, I yelled in my head and the beam from the emerald suddenly grew the largest I had ever seen it, seeming the rush backwards.

Rougier's feet lifted off the ground as the green light burst out of her, giving her a strange, eerie glow. The light hurled itself at me and hit me like a tidal wave and I felt my own feet lift from the ground and I was thrown backwards at an almighty speed, the triangle stretching around me. I saw stars in my eyes as I hit the wall at the end of the corridor and crashed to the floor, feeling a sickening crack in my knee.

Though feeling extremely dazed, I could feel pressure again as Dumbledore and McGonagall tried getting through the shield once more. Severus was running down the corridor towards me, followed by Terry and Harry.

"Stop!" I rasped. Rougier was lying on the ground where she had landed and her body was twitching. Sparks of her own magic seemed to be emitting from her body. I raised my wand and aimed it at her. "Stupefy!"

That did it. Rougier stopped moving and the triangular barrier around us crashed back towards me and hit me hard as it entered to rejoin my magic. I screamed as I felt my body twitch uncontrollably, magic surging through my veins at an almighty speed. My head felt like it was going to explode.

"Armilla!" Severus came to a halt on his knees beside me and immediately brought his arms under me and moved my twitching body into a sitting position so my head would stop bumping the stone floor. His arms came around me and I leaned into his chest, screaming still from the pain, now mainly concentrated in my head.

"My head!" I shrieked, tears running down my face, as Severus held me tighter. "Make it stop!"

"Professor Dumbledore!" I heard Terry say frantically.

"Severus! I think you'd be more welcome than I would," Dumbledore said, kneeling at my feet, his face anxious. "There's less risk."

I continued to scream. "My head!" I started hitting at my head, feeling like I wasn't really there as the pain became worse and worse.

"Armilla," I heard my brother say softly, but I continued to scream, my magic more erratic than ever. I heard the sudden crack of glass as the window pane above smashed.

Dumbledore quickly flicked his wand and stopped the glass showering over us.

"Stop, Armilla!" I heard Harry say, as I continued to hit my head.

"Armilla." There was Severus' voice again, quiet against my ear.

A moment later, my arms were taken away from my head as Terry reached for my hands to hold. I didn't resist; I was going mad from the pain.

"Look at me," Severus said in my ear. He lifted my chin and then wiped the tears on my face with his hand. With difficulty from twitching, I looked into his black eyes. There was such love there.

"Do not look away," he whispered.

I shuddered, not breaking eye contact.

I suddenly heard his voice inside my head. "You've been very brave, Armilla. I am going to attempt to calm your magic by spreading some of mine through you. Just let it come."

I felt him take my left hand from Terry and he closed his hand over the emerald. Immediately, warmth spread though me, making me shudder. He hadn't touched the emerald in such a long time that I had almost forgotten the warm feeling. The pain dulled slightly and the twitching became a series of small shudders. As I continued to look at him, I felt him focus on the pain in my head and it slowly subsided as the magic slowed down.

"That's right," I heard Severus say in my head, as I felt myself becoming limp from tiredness in his arms. "Just concentrate on the sound of my voice. I'm so proud of you, Armilla."

We continued to look at each other for what felt like several minutes before Severus let go of the emerald. The warmth immediately left, but I still felt his presence in my mind.

"I am going to break eye contact and withdraw my magic," Severus said in my head. "You're alright now."

I slowly nodded and then Severus broke his gaze from mine. He looked over at Dumbledore and nodded.

Now that Severus had controlled my magic, my knee reminded me of its presence.

"My knee," I said softly.

"We know," said Terry, standing up. "It looks pretty gross, Milly,"

"Thank you for your helpful observation, Mr Boot," Severus all but growled at him as Terry ran back down the corridor towards Lisa.

"Lisa," I said suddenly, looking down the corridor. McGonagall was bending over her, tending to her injury. Flitwick, looking a little dazed, had his wand trained on the stunned Rougier, still looking like one of his Ravenclaw students.

"Miss Turpin will be fine, Armilla," Dumbledore said, smiling at me, as he and Harry stood up.

I felt strange suddenly as my peripheral vision went dark.

"Harry," I said, "your map's over there."

"Thanks, Armilla," Harry said quietly.

"Map?" Severus repeated.

"Severus," I said, as my vision became darker, "I need to sleep." And everything went black.

* * *

A/N Two chapters in two days! A first for me, I think, at least since the days of the early chapters of the first story. Please, please, please, review! This has been the most traumatic one to write!


	39. Life's Purpose

**Chapter 39**

The excruciating pain in my knee was what woke me. I moaned softly, unwilling to open my eyes.

There seemed to be people bustling about everywhere and from the angered voices I could hear, there seemed to be an argument taking place. I could hear the sound of my brother's voice in the distance.

"You cannot leave that hag in here, Dumbledore!"

"Think of the safety of the students," McGonagall added.

"Ridiculous!" squeaked Flitwick. "Put her in one of the tower chambers!"

I opened my eyes as the teachers continued to argue with Dumbledore. We were in the hospital wing. I was in the bed closest to the doors, while the bed next to me was occupied by Lisa, whose eyes were trained on the adults down the other end of the room, not far from where a bed had been surrounded by the privacy curtain. I noticed that Lisa's injured arm had been bandaged.

Terry, who had a small amount of dressing on his cheek from where he'd been hit by a hex, was sitting in the chair next to Lisa's bed, and Harry stood at the foot of my bed, his arms folded. Both boys were also focused on the heated argument nearby.

"She needs to be questioned," Dumbledore said, his voice not as loud as the others. "She also needs medical care so that we can begin the questioning as soon as possible. Surely you can see that? I cannot awake her at the moment and I am most anxious to find the whereabouts of the real Ruby Parkes."

"Excellent, you're awake," came a voice from my other side. I turned by head to see Madam Pomfrey bustling over to me, her arms laden with supplies. "I need to tend to that knee and I have a lovely range of potions for you to drink." She held out a potion to Terry. "A pain reliever for you, Mr Boot."

Terry got up and came over to my bed. "Thanks, Madam Pomfrey. How do you feel, Milly?"

"Fabulous," I replied, bringing my hands up to rub my temples. A dull ache had settled there.

"That duel was amazing, Armilla," Harry said, grinning at me. "See? I thought you'd been up to something."

I grunted, closing my eyes again, as Madam Pomfrey busied herself with arranging the supplies on the bedside table.

"I'm sorry I missed most of it, Mill," Lisa said. "Apparently you were amazing."

I opened my eyes again and looked over at her. "Thanks for coming to my defence, Lisa. I'm sorry you got injured."

Lisa smiled, looking down as her arm. "It's nothing to your knee, I'm sure."

"Broken in four places," Madam Pomfrey said. "Enough to be getting on with, I assure you."

"What about my concussion?" Terry asked, rubbing the back of his head. "It's worthy of some attention too."

Madam Pomfrey scoffed. "A very _mild _concussion, Boot. I did a scan and you're practically fine apart of the gash on your face. You were just begging me not to make you stay here overnight."

Terry pulled a face while Harry laughed.

"A good joke over here?"

Dumbledore was striding up the ward, the others close behind, all scowling in his wake. Severus in particular looked mutinous.

Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes at Dumbledore as she gave me a pain relief potion to drink. "Nothing but a comparison of injuries, Headmaster." She suddenly smiled over at Harry. "But I must say, Potter, that it's a welcome relief to have _you_ in here uninjured for once."

Harry glared at her, albeit half-hearted.

"I'll need a word with you Potter," Severus said, as he passed Harry and approached my bed. "Don't go too far away."

Harry looked uncomfortable. "Yes, sir."

"Are Miss Turpin and Mr Boot to stay here the night, Madam Pomfrey?" Flitwick asked, as Severus sat down in the chair next to my bed. I looked over at him and he met my gaze, giving me the tiniest of nods before looking back at the nurse.

"Both of them, yes," Madam Pomfrey replied, earning a groan from Terry. "Just for observation."

"Well, I will be standing guard down the end of the ward with the Headmaster," said Flitwick, "so if you need anything for my students-"

"Thank you, Filius," Madam Pomfrey replied, taking out her wand. She looked over at Terry and then nodded towards the bed on the other side of Lisa. "Bed, Boot."

Terry looked sour as he trudged away, muttering to himself about a mild concussion.

"Potter and I are going to have tea and biscuits in my office," said McGonagall briskly, earning a look of bewilderment from Harry. She looked at my brother. "I'll bring him back in half an hour."

Severus nodded, taking his wand out. He waved his wand and directed the privacy curtain around my bed before casting a silencing charm.

"Is Rougier down there?" I asked, as Severus put his wand away.

"Yes," he replied shortly, "though if I had my way-"

"No time for that now, Severus," said Madam Pomfrey, as she bent over my knee. "It's Armilla who need your attention at the moment."

Severus glared at her and opened his mouth, no doubt to say something scathing back, but stopped when I hissed in pain as I felt movement in my knee.

"I'm sorry, Armilla," Madam Pomfrey said, glancing back at me before training her wand on my knee again, "not even the pain reliever will completely help with the process of putting the bones back together."

I bit my lip as I felt more throbbing pain in my knee as the bones were moved about. Severus reached out and took my hand, holding it in both of his. "How long will this take?" he asked Madam Pomfrey.

"Until I'm satisfied," came the response.

Severus scowled at her before looking at me again. I gripped his hand harder and he held it in both of his. "Not even I knew you could do magic like that," he said softly.

"I didn't know I could either," I said, before gasping in pain again. I closed my eyes for a moment. "I am glad it's over."

"You and I both."

I suddenly opened my eyes again as a thought came to me. "Is the emerald the right colour now?"

My bracelet was on the arm of the hand that Severus was holding. He looked down and ran his hand over the bracelet until the emerald was resting between his fingers. I smiled as the familiar warmth ran over me.

"It's definitely back to normal," Severus said, examining it closely, "as I would expect it to be. Your magic has been returned to you in full, as we all witnessed."

I was silent for a moment, reliving the scene in my head. I shuddered as I thought about what the scene would have looked like to those who were watching.

"What are you thinking about?" Severus asked quietly.

"How scary it must have looked."

Severus glanced at Madam Pomfrey, who was muttering an incantation under her breath, before looking back at me and nodding. "It put the rest of us in a situation where we were helpless. That sort of feeling does not rest easily with me, as you can imagine."

I nodded, watching as Madam Pomfrey directed her wand to wrap bandages around my knee.

"Don't be mean to Harry," I said, relieved that the pain in my knee was now a dull ache. "He was a tremendous help."

Severus grunted. "The Boy Who Lived is a hero once more?"

"Don't be like that," I said softly, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. "Without his help, Rougier wouldn't have been exposed."

Severus sighed, watching as Madam Pomfrey left, perhaps to get more supplies. "I suppose. You're dating one half of the duo who helped you last time. Just don't start a pattern."

I glared at him, blinking away sudden angry tears. "I am not about to date Harry Potter."

Severus stared at me. "I apologise," he said shortly. "My sarcasm was ill placed."

I looked away, staring down at my knee.

"Are you in pain?" my brother asked.

"A little."

"I shall have to ask Madam Pomfrey what pain reliever she gave you. I do not want to cause an overdose."

I nodded.

There was silence for a moment.

"What's wrong with Rougier?" I asked.

"Though you only used Stupefy on her, she remains unconscious from the trauma of the duel," Severus answered, releasing my hand. "We will have to wait for her to awake. There are many things to be investigated, not the least of which is the location of Miss Parkes. That, of course, is the primary concern at present."

"Am I able to be there when she's questioned?" I asked, meeting my brother's gaze.

Severus frowned slightly as he answered. "Armilla, I hardly think-"

"She did all this to me," I said heatedly, anger boiling inside me. "I want to hear the truth too. She-"

"I do not think it appropriate," Severus countered, fixing me with a stern look, "given what she has put you through. If I had my way, you would not see her face again."

"I don't _care_," I said angrily. "_I_ had to duel her. It was _my _magic she took! I didn't think I had enough magic to duel her-"

Severus shook his head. "Armilla-"

"It's not fair if I can't," I said, my voice wavering. "She hurt Lisa and Terry because of me and she's hurt Ruby because of me."

Severus was looking irritated at not being able to get a word in. "Armilla-"

"I deserve to hear it all too! She used _Merle_, Severus! It was horrible seeing her like that. No one should have to-"

Madam Pomfrey came back and I stopped, feeling annoyed. I looked away as the nurse and Severus had a brief conversation about the potions I had.

"Here," Severus said a moment later as he uncorked a vial, when Madam Pomfrey disappeared behind the curtain again. "Drink this, it'll take most of the pain away."

I took the vial and drank, as Severus sat back in his chair with a tired sigh, watching me. He held his hand out silently for the empty vial and placed it on the bedside table before leaning forward again to speak.

"You faced a very personal battle this evening, Armilla, of that I have no doubt. I don't believe I can express to you adequately how very proud I was tonight, although my emotions were mixed with sheer panic."

I smiled slightly, but the intensity of my feelings did not abate.

"Being exposed to that horrid cursed Merle for all those months was exceptionally taxing on you in numerous ways, especially mentally. You have been brave throughout the whole ordeal, not just tonight, despite our arguments on how best to handle it."

"I still want to see her though," I said quietly. "I defeated her."

"Yes, you did," Severus acknowledged, "but we are not talking of a mentally sane woman. I would rather not put you in her abusive path if I can help it."

I frowned. "I can look after myself. I'm nearly seventeen."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "And I'll still be wanting to stand in front of you when you're forty. It's not a question of age. You've been in the company of Rougier enough this year, even if you didn't know it."

I shook my head slightly as I turned to look up at my brother. "I'm not afraid of her or anything she might say."

He sighed again as he looked away. "My better judgement tells me that you are better off staying as far away from the hag as you possibly can."

"But will you let me see her?"

Severus looked back at me, frowning. After a moment, he shook his head and looked away once more. "Seeing at it was a crime committed here at Hogwarts, it's for Dumbledore or even the Ministry, if he involved them, to decide on that. You and I are emotionally involved in this case; it's a family matter."

"Don't you want to hear what she has to say?" I asked.

He nodded. "I do."

"If no one objects, may I?"

Severus pursed his lips a little. Finally, he gave a resigned sigh. "If you must."

I nodded. "Thank you."

We were silent for a moment and I took in how truly exhausted Severus looked. "You were called tonight," I said.

He gave a slight nod, though his face was suspicious. "How did you know that?"

"Harry's map. It wasn't long after you left me in the library. We saw you out on the grounds and you disappeared beyond the gate. I just assumed you had been called."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "I suppose that map is the reason why Potter so often turns up where there is trouble. I should have confiscated it for good three years ago when I first laid eyes on it."

I frowned. "But Severus, I wouldn't have spotted Rougier."

He now looked a little irritated. "I know. To be honest, I am annoyed with myself that I didn't think of it months ago. I knew the map was useful, but it didn't even register in my thoughts when I was trying to find a solution to Merle."

"I'm glad Harry thought of it though," I said. "He wondered if it might be useful."

"And to what extent did Potter know of Merle?" Severus asked, still looking annoyed.

"Nothing of Merle," I answered. "But he worked out for himself that it was a curse. I suppose that was obvious in the end."

Severus sneered. "Yes well, I suppose even Potter is not dim enough to think that you'd collapse around the castle of your own accord."

I glared at him. "I thought we weren't speaking of it anymore?"

He shook his head. "We're not. I was merely commenting on Potter's great insight."

Now it was my turn to shake my head. "I wished you weren't disposed to think ill of Harry_ all_ the time. He was helpful tonight."

Severus grunted. "Indeed."

We were silent for a moment.

"I don't have to stay here overnight, do I?" I asked, feeling suddenly alarmed. "I don't want to be here if Rougier stays here."

Severus sneered at me. "Armilla, do you really think I'd leave you here with that wretched hag at the other end of the room?"

"No," I said crossly, "but-"

"I am not going anywhere, Armilla. I wouldn't leave you here. Nor would Professor Flitwick leave Miss Turpin or Mr Boot."

I sighed, looking away. "I was just asking."

Severus stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. "I do not mean to be short-tempered. It's been an eventful night. Meeting with the Dark Lord is never something you can adjust to. I experienced sheer terror in finding you in a rather perilous situation when I returned. Furthermore, I am struggling to reign in my temper due to the headmaster's decision to keep Rougier here in the hospital wing."

I nodded, reaching my hand out to him.

Taking the hint, Severus stood and sat on my bed. "Not that I'm complaining," he said gruffly, as I leaned into his arms. He kissed the topped of my head. "You're the one who's been battling the mentally insane this evening."

I smirked. "Haven't we both been battling the insane this evening?"

Leaning against his chest, I could hear the low rumble of amusement that Severus seemed to suppress.

We sat in silence for a moment and Rougier stayed in my thoughts. "Severus, does Madam Pomfrey know that Rougier is pregnant?"

"She's not pregnant," my brother said quietly. "I did indicate to Madam Pomfrey that it was our knowledge that she was with child."

I frowned. "But she said she was pregnant back in February-"

"She's not anymore," Severus said, his voice showing no hint of emotion. "Madam Pomfrey is certain she's not."

I shifted slightly and looked up at him. "What happened?"

Severus considered me for a moment. "Zita Rougier is hardly a young woman," he said carefully, "so it may be far more common for a woman her age to miscarriage. If this was not the case, I would hazard a guess that it was the Polyjuice Potion."

"Hazard a guess?"

Severus shook his head. "Alright, it is my theory that Polyjuice would have played a rather destructive role in terminating the pregnancy. Clearly Rougier did not do her research beforehand, which I am sure does not surprise you. Polyjuice always has its risks, but for a pregnant woman to be using it constantly to change back and forth between bodies-" He stopped and shook his head. "If the child had survived there would be major risk of deformity."

"That's sad," I said quietly.

Severus inclined his head. "It is sad to think that a child was to be brought into this world as a means of taking your wealth from you-"

"After my magic had been drained completely," I said softly, as the puzzle fell into place in my head. "Father's will did state that his heir had to be magical." It had all been about the money.

Severus nodded. "Rougier's thinking was truly twisted. I would hate to think what sort of life the child would have been exposed to. A child who exists for the sake of revenge and stealing one's inheritance."

I bit my lip as another, rather morbid thought came to me. "But that's why _I_ exist," I said quietly, looking away. "_I_ was brought into this world for the same reason. I only exist for the sake of having another heir."

Severus considered me, looking troubled. "Perhaps initially that was the purpose, at least in Father's eyes," he said softly. "There are certain decisions I made in my past that caused a fair amount of hardship. If I had not made them, Father would never have disowned me and decided he needed another heir." He paused for a moment and shook his head. He suddenly had a strange, pinched expression on his face. "I have learned that fate works in mysterious ways, Armilla. The decisions of my past have aided in bringing you into the world. It was a world I didn't think I deserved any part of."

I met my brother's gaze and tears sprang to my eyes as soon as I saw they were in his. I tightened my hold on him and he did the same. "Don't go anywhere," I murmured into his robes. "I couldn't bear it if I didn't have you."

Severus was silent. We sat that way for some minutes before we heard footsteps near the entrance of the hospital wing.

"Potter," Severus said quietly.

I let go of my brother and kissed him on the cheek. "Be fair," I said.

He rolled his eyes and stood up, stretching a little before cancelling the soundproofing charm. He moved the curtains back and we saw Harry and Professor McGonagall approaching us.

"Healing nicely, Miss Snape?" Professor McGonagall asked when she reached us. Before I could answer, she held out a small packet of biscuits, tied with a tartan ribbon. "Have some biscuits."

"Thank you, Professor," I said, smiling as Severus snorted.

"And what do_ you_ offer your students when they've been through trauma, Severus?" McGonagall asked, eyeing my brother with humour. "Jelly snakes for your serpents?"

As Severus glared at his colleague, Harry seemed to bite on his tongue to keep from laughing. Lisa and Terry, however, barely managed to suppress their amusement.

"I imagine you go through many biscuits with your heroic Gryffindors, Minerva," Severus said snidely. "I daresay you order them by the crate?"

McGonagall laughed, her eyes twinkling merrily. "Why do you think Professor Dumbledore insists on having our meetings in my office so often, Severus? He is rather partial to my Scottish shortbread. What refreshment do you offer him?"

Severus scoffed, his eyes moving to Harry. "Sit down, Potter," he said, gesturing to the seat next to my bed.

McGonagall pursed her lips, watching as Harry complied.

"Do not concern yourself, Minerva," Severus said, returning her look with narrowed eyes. "I shall endeavour to return him to you in one piece."

"Hmph," McGonagall said, before sweeping away. She stopped to give Lisa and Terry biscuits too, before moving up the ward to join Dumbledore and Flitwick at the end of the room.

"I believe your map was of great assistance tonight?" Severus asked, folding his arms as he looked at Harry.

"That map is brilliant, Harry," Terry said.

"I wish we'd known about it earlier," Lisa added. "It would have saved a whole lot of trouble." She scrunched her face up. "We slept in the same dorm as that…that-"

"I believe the word you are looking for is_ hag_, Miss Turpin," Severus said, as Dumbledore came to join us. "Now do excuse us again."

Dumbledore used his wand to direct the curtain around my bed once again, though this time he magically enhanced the space around my bed and conjured himself a rather impressive purple paisley wingchair at the foot of my bed. "Shall I conjure one for you too, Severus?" he offered, after casting a soundproofing charm.

"No, thank you," Severus said tersely, choosing to remain standing with his arms folded.

"Very well," Dumbledore said, sitting himself down. "Now, my dear Armilla," he said pleasantly. "I congratulate you on displaying such bravery and skill in advanced magic this evening. I was immensely proud."

"Thank you, Professor," I said, while Harry nodded in agreement at Dumbledore's words.

"I feel I have also failed you, however, in not detecting sooner that we had an imposter sleeping in your dormitory. As Headmaster of this school, I cannot tell you how angry I am that Zita managed to remain incognito for so long."

I shook my head. "I suppose being skilled in the art of deception is one of her strengths, sir."

Severus made a derisive noise. "One of her many talents, I am sure." He looked over at Harry. "Tell me of your part in this tonight, Potter."

Harry looked at me before looking at my brother again. "I felt bad about what happened the other night, Professor, after Armilla hurt herself and I wanted to help her-"

As Dumbledore looked at Severus, Harry paused. "The collapsing you told me of?" The headmaster asked.

Severus nodded. "The latest in a series of them, it seems."

I didn't like the disapproving look Dumbledore then sent my way and I glared at my brother.

"Don't look at me like that, Armilla," Severus said curtly. "The Headmaster merely asked."

Dumbledore held up a hand. "I am sure the two of you have settled the matter. I should not interfere. Continue, Harry."

"I wanted to help Armilla," Harry continued, turning a little red. "I didn't like seeing her injured and I had worked out by then that a curse must have been causing it. It occurred to me that the Marauders' Map might be of some help."

Dumbledore nodded. "A wise notion, I must say, Harry."

"I lent it to Armilla earlier this evening in the library," Harry said.

"That was much earlier," Severus said, his eyes flitting between Harry and I. "Surely it should not have taken such a long time to scan the map." He looked over at me. "You didn't scan it in detail until you were in Ravenclaw Tower?"

I nodded. "We had to work on our assignment, and even then, we were held up before that."

"Bletchley got in the way," Harry said. "He came in with Professor Slughorn."

Severus' face darkened, but before he could speak, Dumbledore spoke.

"Bletchley?"

"Arian Bletchley, sir," Harry said.

"And what did Bletchley want?" Severus said sharply, looking furious. He looked at me. "Armilla?"

"To talk of Rougier and to warn me," I said, giving my brother a knowing look. "He had suspicions about her too."

Knowing I couldn't say more in front of Harry, Severus didn't press the subject. "Were you alone with him?" he asked.

"No," Harry and I said together and Severus glared at Harry.

"I spoke to him by myself," I said, "but we stayed in the library where Professor Slughorn could see us."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Is Arian Bletchley's presence in the castle something I should be worried about, Severus?" he asked.

"Not that I am aware of, Headmaster," Severus answered tersely. "Though I would prefer it if his presence was no where near Armilla."

Dumbledore looked between my brother and I before leaning further back in his chair. "Ah."

"Thank you for lending the map," I said to Harry. "It's done a great deal of good tonight."

Harry smiled. "That was some brilliant magic, Armilla."

"Indeed it was," Severus agreed, "but it will not be a topic of conversation to start with the Gryffindors I trust, Potter?"

Harry gave my brother a look. "Of course not," he said angrily.

Severus raised an eyebrow, looking expectantly at him.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Of course not,_ sir_. Armilla knows she can trust me."

I smiled to myself. Except when he told my brother about collapsing.

"I believe you unexpectedly helped Harry tonight as well, Armilla," Dumbledore said, turning the conversation in a different direction. "Harry came to me tonight with something I had been needing for awhile."

"What is this?" Severus asked sharply, looking from me to the headmaster. He frowned. "This certainly has been a most eventful evening."

"A memory, Severus," Dumbledore said. "I have been wanting a memory from Professor Slughorn and before you ask for details, no, I am not about the share them."

Severus threw Dumbledore a scathing look. "Headmaster, I-"

"I trust you _implicitly_, Severus," Dumbledore said, holding up a hand to stop him, "but I prefer to not put all my eggs in one basket, as it were. Would you prefer it if I shared all the details of your gatherings with the Dark Lord with Harry?"

Severus glared at Dumbledore. "Obviously _not_," he said shortly.

"Then you understand my reasoning, Severus," Dumbledore said, looking unconcerned.

Severus looked mutinous. "And _why_, pray tell, was Armilla involved in retrieving this secret memory? You may be able to give orders to Potter, Headmaster, but Armilla is _not_ to be used in this way. We have discussed this before."

"It's my fault, Professor," Harry said, his face red again. "I asked for Armilla's help and I didn't tell her what I needed it for and she had to work it out for herself."

"Armilla?" Severus said, looking over at me. "What was your role in this?"

"I wasn't really coerced," I told him. "I just happened to be there when Harry needed something from Professor Slughorn. It turned out to be convenient that I was because it helped."

Severus was not placated by these words. He threw a withering look at Harry. "Potter, my sister is _not _to be used as a tool in-"

"Severus," Dumbledore said loudly, "do not distress yourself about this. Armilla did not put herself in danger-"

"And if the Dark Lord invades Potter's mind?!" Severus snapped, looking furious. "What then, I ask you?!" He suddenly looked quite deranged. "Do NOT simply assume, headmaster that I am merely being overprotective. If Armilla is being used in ANY way for your purpose then I NEED to know about it! If the Dark Lord witnesses the scene in Potter's mind and I do not know of it, it may be VERY difficult to talk my way out of it!"

I closed my eyes, hating to hear my brother so distressed.

"_Our _purpose, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly.

Severus glared at him, his face full of contempt. "There is _no_ need to correct me, Headmaster. Of any of those who serve you, I believe I _know _my place in the cause."

Dumbledore looked sadly at my brother. "I apologise. I do not doubt you. But Severus, the Dark Lord will not attempt to invade Harry's mind again, not after what he experienced last year."

Severus sneered. "Do not assume what the Dark Lord will or will not do, Dumbledore. We've been burned more than once."

"I'm sorry, Professor," Harry said quietly, looking a little mortified. "I didn't think-"

"_Clearly_," Severus interrupted. He turned back to Dumbledore. "Armilla may be of age very soon, but she is not in a position like many of her peers. She cannot take an active stance in this without putting her life further at risk. If you want me to be able to continue spying for you then you must understand and respect my wishes to not actively throw Armilla in harm's way. The way our world is headed at the moment, we'll all find it soon enough. One false move on my part could prove perilous for my sister. Look at what's become of the Malfoys."

Harry looked curiously at my brother, while Dumbledore slowly nodded. "I understand Severus." He got up and then waved his wand to banish his chair. He held out his hand to Severus, who took it, looking surprised. "You know I am not long for this world, Severus, but I will not leave it without having shaken your hand as an equal."

I snuck a glance over at Harry in time to see the troubled look cross his face.

"Come Harry," Dumbledore said, after waving his wand to cancel the soundproofing charm. "I believe it's well past the time all students should have been in bed."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, standing up. He turned to me. "Goodnight, Armilla."

"Goodnight, Harry," I said, feeling utterly depressed at how the conversation ended. I knew Professor Dumbledore was dying, but to hear him acknowledge it was very upsetting.

Severus, who now wore an expressionless look, stepped back and moved the curtains once more. Dumbledore walked Harry to the door of the hospital wing before returning to my brother and I.

"Professor Dumbledore!" McGonagall called from the other end of the room. "She's awake."

* * *

A/N It was my aim to get this chapter posted before the end of June – a promise to myself. My excuses for its lateness are too numerous to list. Part 2 should be posted this week.


	40. A Tale of Deceit

**Chapter 40**

"Thank you, Minerva," Dumbledore called. He wore a grave look on his face as he turned back to Severus. "I am hoping it will not be time consuming to gain knowledge of the whereabouts of Ruby Parkes. I have already sent an owl requiring the immediate presence of Mr and Mrs Parkes. I want to have their daughter returned to them as soon as possible."

"This Zita Rougier must be an incredible actress," said Professor Flitwick, as he came to join us. "She has supposedly spent time with the Parkes family this year. I have not had any communication from the family about any concern."

"I do not doubt her skills in the art of deception," said Severus grimly. "We have had enough experience in that regard."

"You have the veritaserum, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

Severus nodded. "I do." He reached into his robes and produced a small vial, which he placed into Dumbledore's outstretched hand.

Dumbledore turned to Flitwick. "Filius, might I ask you to stay with your Ravenclaws here whilst we attend to Rougier?"

Flitwick nodded. "Of course, Albus. We shall begin discussing the additional points Ravenclaw is to receive tonight."

Dumbledore chuckled, whilst Severus merely rolled his eyes.

"I understand if you do not wish to be part of this," Dumbledore said quietly to Severus. "You and Armilla have emotional ties with this woman."

"Be that as it may," Severus said, sneering, "I would not miss interrogating this particular hag for the world."

Dumbledore didn't look surprised. "I thought you might say that. Shall we?" He turned to walk away.

I caught Severus' eye with a pleading look. He nodded grimly at me, not looking happy.

"Headmaster," he said, causing Dumbledore to turn around again. "If you will permit it, Armilla desires to be present as well."

Dumbledore looked from me to my brother, a slight frown on his face. "You're her guardian, Severus," he said, after a short pause, "if you think it wise, then of course Armilla may join us."

"I did not say anything about wise," Severus replied, walking over to my bed. "I merely said that Armilla desires it."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow as he turned again to walk away. "You see to assisting Armilla, Severus and I'll administer the veritaserum."

"You are sure?" Severus asked me quietly, as Dumbledore walked towards the other end of the room.

I nodded. "I am."

"Iwouldn't, Armilla," Terry said to me. "Who'd want to face that hag again?"

"_I'd_ want to," said Lisa vehemently. "I'd like to hex her into oblivion."

"A shared sentiment, I assure you, Miss Turpin," Severus said, helping me to stand. "Unfortunately, your view of how to deal with such wrongdoings is not one the Department of Magical Law Enforcement shares."

"Pity," Lisa grumbled.

Severus handed me the pair of crutches that Madam Pomfrey had left by my bed. Slowly, we made our way down the room. I felt butterflies in my stomach as we got closer to the curtain that surrounded Rougier, Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"You can turn back at any time," Severus murmured.

I nodded. I would like to have turned back, simply to save myself from having more memories of Rougier to ponder, but I was determined.

Severus pulled the curtain back and I felt a magical barrier briefly as I passed through. There were clearly magical wards in place around the bed.

"Ah, if it isn't the clever little witch who finally defeated me," said a snide voice.

I had avoided looking at the person in the bed until then. I looked over to see Zita Rougier, or Zita Snape, as she now called herself, sitting up in bed, her greyish eyes fixed on me. Her face was twisted into a rather pinched expression, one that did not suit her features at all.

"Severus," I heard Dumbledore say warningly. I turned to see that Severus had his wand out, pointed straight at Rougier.

"Just in case, Headmaster," Severus said through clenched teeth. "I am hoping to not _accidentally_ cast a well aimed curse at the hag."

Rougier sneered at him. "And where was the most devoted big brother whilst I was duelling his sister? Serving your master?"

Severus narrowed his eyes. "Oh aren't we brave?" he drawled. "Would you like me to hand you over to him right now, Rougier? The woman who was an ally to my father when he was in hiding? Since the Dark Lord cannot deal with my father any longer, _you_ may be the next best option."

The colour on Rougier's face drained. She met my brother's gaze with a determined stare, but there was no denying that her hands, clasped together in her lap, were trembling.

"Unless Madam Rougier…er..Snape is usually this blunt, you may be able to tell that I have administered the veritaserum, Severus," said Dumbledore, his voice telling us that he wished to get on with the interrogation.

"Somehow I think this charming persona is part of this witch's usual temperament, Albus," said McGonagall tersely. "The sooner this is over the better."

Rougier merely smirked, folding her arms. "Ask what you will," she said, "it's not as if I can stop you now."

"Time is of the essence," said Dumbledore. "Where is Miss Ruby Parkes and how can we free her?"

Rougier laughed. "Oh Miss Parkes is in France with my brother, Marcel. She is trapped inside a book, Chapter 40 to be precise. Reading the first line backwards will take you in there with her. Saying the last line of the book in French will take you back out, provided you are holding onto Ruby. The book is called _La Magicienne_ and it is sitting at the far left side of the bookshelf in the kitchen."

"Is she injured?" I asked urgently, feeling a pang in my chest. Poor Ruby.

Rougier shook her head. "No, just missing some hair."

"Your brother's address is still in Lyon, is it not?" said Severus tersely.

"Yes," Rougier answered.

"Kingsley will find him," Dumbledore said. "There is only one small wizarding village in Lyon. Is your brother currently in hiding?"

"No," Rougier replied.

Dumbledore suddenly waved his wand and his patronus appeared. With another swirl of his wand it was gone.

"I've sent word to Kingsley," he said. "He's waiting on orders."

I bit my lip. I hoped Ruby would be okay. Thank goodness she was alive.

Dumbledore conjured four squashy purple armchairs and gestured for us to sit. After assisting me to sit, Severus sat down, his narrowed eyes fixed on Rougier's.

"I think we need to start at the beginning," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair. "Tell us of your association with the Snape family and all the details of how it came about."

Rougier sent a scathing look to Severus and I before she began, her eyes on Dumbledore. "I first received correspondence from Aurelius Snape in the December of the year before last. It was in the October of that year that he had discovered that he had a daughter. My brother, Marcel Rougier, had been approached by the Bletchley family for my services. The Bletchleys considered themselves close friends with Aurelius and he had communicated to the Bletchleys that he was seeking a governess for the week Armilla was to spend at Snape Manor.

The Bletchleys wanted to be the ones to make a recommendation, as they were not as affluent as they had once been, and saw this as an opportunity to strengthen their ties with a wealthy pureblood family like the Snapes and perhaps push their sons ahead of Draco Malfoy in the line for Armilla's hand."

Rougier paused. "Some of this is all conjecture on my brother's part, but the truth as I heard it from him. Young Arian Bletchley was apprenticing for my brother in Lyon and his role was pivotal in those early days. At last, I received the first of several letters from Aurelius Snape. He was very clear in what he expected of me in the week I was to spend at his house. He had not yet met his daughter, but was quite clear in improvements that would need to be made." Rougier looked over at me, her face scornful. "I found it so myself, for when I finally had the pleasure of meeting his dear daughter, I found her to be lacking in just about every way."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Severus' hand grip tighter around his wand, but it was McGonagall who spoke up.

"I think you will find, Madam," she said, a pinched expression on her face, "that Armilla Snape is one of the most highly thought of students at this school, not merely for her academic skills but also for having a remarkably good disposition."

Something seemed to flicker in Severus' eyes as he looked over at his colleague for a moment.

"I agree with Minerva of course," said Dumbledore in a grave voice, his eyes fixed on Rougier's. "You'll forgive us for taking no notice of your opinion, especially as at this moment, everyone in this room finds your judgement wanting. Let's move on."

Rougier pursed her lips, now refusing to look at Severus or I.

"Tell me of how your association with Aurelius Snape was continued after Armilla departed Snape Manor," Dumbledore said, interlacing his fingers in his lap. "Surely you were not kept on after Armilla returned to Severus?"

"No, I was not kept on," Rougier said. Her voice seemed to have lost some of its arrogance. "I didn't expect to stay on. It was understood before I arrived that my presence would only be required for the time Armilla was there. Aurelius did plan on having me return in the summer, as he expected to have Armilla stay with him again."

"Then things took a little turn," Severus drawled, looking distastefully at Rougier. "And your services were required a little earlier than you thought?"

Rougier now looked over at Severus. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to hex him right out of the room. "Yes," she whispered. "Things took a little turn. Aurelius owled me in Lyon, asking for my presence in his home at my earliest convenience. I was there as a soon as I could and I found him in a rather agitated state. He told me of his role as a Death Eater, which I had guessed at of course. It seemed the Dark Lord was planning to have a weapon stolen from the Ministry of Magic and Lucius Malfoy had a major role to carry out. Lucius had made a request of the Dark Lord; that if he was successful Draco would be betrothed to Armilla."

Rougier shook her head. "Aurelius was furious. He did his best to thwart Lucius in the time before that night at the Ministry but to no avail. Aurelius was ordered to keep his distance. I believe he was lucky You-Know-Who didn't kill him, but he must have been useful enough to be kept alive."

"And what did Aurelius want with you at this time?" Dumbledore asked, though he knew the answer perfectly well. "Explain what his plan was."

"To assist him," she answered. "He was planning to go into hiding and take Armilla with him. He did not take kindly to Lucius asking the Dark Lord for Armilla's hand and he had decided that Armilla was going to have no association with the Malfoys." She paused. "Aurelius had connections and managed to find a house and secured it so that it couldn't be found." She wrinkled her nose. "Armilla will remember that it was not the most comfortable of houses. She should count herself lucky she spent such a limited time there."

I said nothing. To tell the truth, I wanted her to keep talking. It was so strange hearing these events, though they had taken place quite a while ago now, told from Rougier's perspective.

"We had not been there long before Aurelius decided he would collect Armilla. I do not know how he got into Hogwarts, all I know is that he managed to acquire polyjuice potion and one of Lucius Malfoy's hairs. He managed to find Armilla in the dungeons and portkeyed her to the house." Again, Rougier shook her head. "Obviously Armilla had to do some quick thinking from the start." She shot a scathing look at me. "I have never seen a daughter attempt to manipulate her father as I saw you do. Quite the Slytherin, I must say."

"A compliment I think," Dumbledore said, as Severus smirked. "Continue."

Rougier glared at Dumbledore. "From the start, Armilla was nothing but difficult. Impudent, defiant and rather wily." She looked over at Severus. "You must be so proud of your parenting skills."

Severus merely gave her a deadpan look. "Self defence skills are a must these days," he said smoothly. "If my sister employs impudence, defiance and wily tricks to aid her in a successful escape, then I congratulate her whole heartedly."

"You were getting to the part where I left you on the bathroom floor," I said, my voice completely neutral.

Rougier narrowed her eyes. "You little-"

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Armilla managed to escape, yes, and," he looked over at me and inclined his head, "we were very proud of her for it. I would however, like to hear your version of the tale."

Rougier looked as if she would really rather not, but the veritaserum would not let her keep the event to herself. "I awoke on the bathroom floor after Aurelius came back," she said. "I had been knocked out and had also been stupefied." She paused and grimaced. "Aurelius was not much better." He would never tell me of what had happened in the grounds and he would fly into such a temper if I asked. All I managed to learn from him was that Armilla had gotten away, taking his wand with her." Rougier glared at me. "And she took mine too."

I said nothing, though I had several sarcastic comments ready to hurl at her.

"Aurelius kept a spare wand in the house," Rougier continued, "and we had to use it between us. He didn't leave the house or grounds initially, knowing that due to Armilla's return, Severus and Dumbledore would probably have Aurors looking for him. His mood turned dark, very dark, and he spent his days in his room, barely doing anything. I suggested one time that he should disown his daughter, as she had betrayed him, but he would not hear of it." Rougier shuddered. "He had a terrible temper during those weeks."

"And why did you stay?" Severus asked, his expression calculating. "Surely you were not bound to the house?"

"Of course I wasn't bound to the house!" Rougier snapped. "I left when I needed to. Continuing the acquaintance served my purpose."

"And what was your purpose?" Dumbledore queried, leaning forward slightly.

"At first it was revenge." Rougier gave me a look of loathing. "I was enraged that Armilla had managed to get past both her father and myself. I kept returning to Aurelius at the house for many weeks, trying to win him over, to make him stop obsessing over his children. He would sit for hours on end, muttering to himself about betrayal and deception and the loss of his wife. Over and over he would mumble the name of his beloved wife. Hazel, Hazel, Hazel."

Rougier stopped, taking a breath. "When I ventured to suggest once more that Aurelius disown Armilla, he very clearly told me that his estate would pass to Armilla upon his death and nothing would prevent her from inheriting it. As his daughter very clearly had magical ability, there was no question of her inheritance."

"There was a clause in the will about denying the inheritance if a child was a squib?" McGonagall said, her disdainful expression clearly showing what she thought of that.

Rougier nodded. "I thought if I could get Aurelius to transfer his affection from his late wife to me, I could secure some, if not all, of his fortune for myself. I immediately began planning how I could attack Armilla's magical core. If I could rid her of her magic, she wouldn't be able to inherit. Soon it was my dearest hope to become pregnant too. A magical child of mine would then inherit the Snape estate, thus securing a place among the most prominent British wizarding families. It was the perfect plan."

"I see _nothing_ perfect about it!" Severus spat, the hand on his wand almost trembling. "Your thinking, madam, has been nothing short of deranged from the start."

"Revenge and greed together cannot possibly make for a perfect plan," I added. "What's more, you didn't succeed."

"Other than killing our father," Severus muttered.

Rougier's face was twisted with malice as she looked at us. "_I_ didn't kill Aurelius!" she shrieked. "I am no murderer!"

Seeing as she was under the effects of veritaserum, we could have no doubt she was telling the truth.

"No murderer?" Severus repeated. "But you'll take part in kidnapping not only my sister, but also Miss Parkes, as well as stealing my sister's magic. You expect us to condone this?"

Rougier's eyes flashed. "What I expect of _you_ is-"

Dumbledore's stern tone cut across her's. "Did you play any part in Aurelius Snape's death, Zita?"

"I did _not_," she said primly. "I had no plan to kill my husband."

"Did you _know_ of any plan to kill our father?" I asked.

"Again, _no_," Zita said smoothly, smirking at me. "Your attempt to paint me as a murderer will fail. I had no knowledge of any plan to kill my husband."

"Did you know anyone who had a motive to kill him?" Severus asked.

"_No_," Zita said, her voice now impatient. "I thought I was clear."

"Let's return to your marriage," Dumbledore said. "How did it come about?"

"I can make myself desirable to a man if need be," Rougier said, the smirk still on her face, which only deepened when she saw Severus roll his eyes. "Aurelius was a lonely man with a dead wife and children who had abandoned him. I easily stepped in as the companion with an awful lot of sympathy and affection. Eventually he came to see me in a whole new way."

"So you didn't use magic to secure his consent to the marriage?" Severus asked, his tone full of doubt.

"No, I didn't!" Rougier snapped.

"Did you ask him to marry you?" I asked.

Rougier pursed her lips before answering. "Yes," she said shortly. "He thought it was a good idea."

Severus let out a sound of derision and looked away.

"How did you bring about the marriage?" McGonagall asked, an eyebrow raised. "I would have thought it would be rather difficult to manage considering Aurelius was in hiding."

"He came out of hiding," Rougier said shortly. "He came with me to France and after being married, he managed to conceal himself once more in a small chateau. The Death Eaters didn't hunt for him in France, at least not that I know of." She stopped and looked at Severus, who remained silent.

"Tell us about your brother's financial problems," I said. "I would have thought your marriage would have helped in that regard."

Rougier looked outraged that I would know of her brother's business, but the veritaserum did not let her keep the truth to herself.

"My brother Marcel got into considerable financial debt last August," she said, her tone flat. "He owed a lot of money to many people and when he couldn't repay them

on time he began receiving threats." She stopped to swallow. "He…His life was in danger. I had to help in any way I could. Aurelius did not know of the blunder. I merely asked him for money when I could. I could only give Marcel money in small amounts, as Aurelius was not very forthcoming."

"What did Arian Bletchley know of all this?" I asked.

Rougier looked sharply at me, her lips pursed once again. "He knew of the financial problems," she said. "As Marcel's apprentice, they worked so closely together that it could not escape Arian that something was amiss. On a drunken night, Marcel revealed all to Arian, including that I had married your father."

Rougier sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "Arian was very supportive," she said, opening her eyes again. "Though he was not a Death Eater, relatives of his, the Hewitts were, and he promised me that through them, he was going to do everything in his power to raise Aurelius in the Dark Lord's esteem. In exchange for doing this, I assured Arian that I would put his name forward to Aurelius as a suitor for Armilla. Arian seemed confident of securing Armilla's agreement to a relationship. He told me that if they were to marry, he would ensure that money Armilla would receive from her father on her marriage would be used to erase Marcel's debt. He wanted to save the business so he could inherit it himself. It was something that would work out well for everyone."

"Except Armilla," Dumbledore said, looking gravely at Rougier. "Forgive me, Madam, but there is nothing in that plan that reveals generosity of spirit in any respect."

Rougier was silent. She met Dumbledore's gaze, her face unconcerned.

"Tell us of your motive to have a child and its relevance, if any, to the curse cast upon Armilla," the Headmaster said, shaking his head slightly.

"I didn't like that Aurelius would not change his will after we were married," Rougier said, suddenly glaring at me. "I thought it logical that his wealth should be transferred to me upon his death. Aurelius did not seem to think so. Again, he told me that Armilla and only Armilla would be inheriting."

She suddenly grinned, looking a little mad. "I remembered the clause in the will about squibs. I could not be absolutely certain that Arian would help us once he and Armilla were married, if indeed, Aurelius sanctioned the marriage. I began devising a plan to drain Armilla's magic, even before I was pregnant. Marcel had dabbled in the dark arts in his youth and together we created the curse that would make Armilla's dead guardian appear. All I needed was to have Armilla in sight when I cast it. It would collect what magic it could from Armilla, since the curse was drawn to her. The curse would disappear when others would come by, but still retain the magic.

I needed a way to have access to Armilla and so I decided to disguise myself as a student at Hogwarts. Before the school year started, I spent a lot of time in Diagon Alley, looking for students shopping for supplies. My chance came in the bathroom of The Leaky Cauldron on the last day before school was to start. Luck was with me that day. I entered the bathroom to find a young lady in there, reading over her Hogwarts supplies list. As her name was on the letter, I already had an identity. Ruby Parkes. I stupefied her, swapped clothes, grabbed a hair, added it to my Polyjuice potion and I became Ruby Parkes. She fit nicely into my brother's book and I carried her with me all the way to Hogwarts. I spent a fair bit of time in the book with her in those early days, coaxing her to tell me things about herself. It was not difficult. She stayed with me until I decided to leave the book in France in February. I carry around an abundant supply of hair."

"Did you torture her?" Dumbledore asked.

Rougier nodded. "Initially. She is uninjured now, of course."

"Her family didn't suspect anything?" McGonagall asked.

Rougier laughed. "The Parkes family? I only had to spend one night with them and it became clear rather quickly that Ruby did not see a lot of her parents. It was the dotty little grandmother who I found inside the Leaky Cauldron and she suspected nothing at all."

"When did you become pregnant?" I asked.

"Late December," Rougier answered, looking away.

"You couldn't have been seeing Aurelius too often," Dumbledore commented. "I suppose you saw him over the Christmas holidays?"

Rougier nodded curtly. "Yes, I had my ways."

Dumbledore also nodded. "And I granted permission to Ruby's parents for her absence from school after Christmas due to the illness of a relative."

Rougier laughed. "Me again. Morning sickness you know. I couldn't return to school."

McGonagall narrowed her eyes. "You didn't return until after the death of Aurelius Snape in early February."

"Yes," Rougier said simply.

McGonagall shook her head.

"I suppose your constant use of Polyjuice potion caused you to miscarry?" Severus asked, his tone emotionless.

Rougier looked darkly at Severus. "Yes," she said quietly. "I miscarried in late February."

"Then why not give up the plan?" McGonagall asked, looking incredulous. "Why carry on?"

"Because I wanted Armilla's magic gone!" Rougier snapped. "I would not rest until it was gone." Rougier paused and smiled sweetly at me. "Then of course, Armilla got too clever and so we had to rethink the curse."

"Did Father know you were pregnant?" I asked.

Rougier shook her head. "No, I didn't tell him."

"How did he come to be at Snape Manor at the time of his death?" Severus asked.

"I do not know," Rougier said. "I arrived at the chateau one evening after several days' absence to find he was not there. I came back to England and checked the house we had lived in briefly and there was no sign of his having been there. I was going to see if he had returned to Snape Manor and I was intercepted by an owl carrying the news of his death."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I must confess that this is one of the most complex tales of deceit I have encountered, and that's saying something."

Rougier snorted. "You want a tale of deceit, ask Severus to share one."

Severus sneered. "I won't outshine your story tonight, Madam."

"It was a rather thrilling one," McGonagall muttered, as Dumbledore took out his wand. He stood up and gestured for Severus and I to follow him.

McGonagall stayed behind with Rougier as we made our way outside the curtain. Dumbledore put the tip of his wand to his temple and withdrew a long wispy strand. He then added it to a conjured vial and I watched, amazed, as he performed a complicated wand movement, causing the vial to disappear.

"I've sent it to Kingsley," Dumbledore said to Severus. "Extra information for his encounter with Marcel Rougier. Hopefully he will have freed Miss Parkes soon."

* * *

A/N Thanks for reading. Please review – comments are always appreciated. Just a quick message to 'Guest' – thank you very much for your message; I was glad to receive it. Thank you to all those who continue to review – I always enjoy reading your reviews and messages. I still have plans to finish this story and this chapter was one of the trickiest to write, which is why I updated much later than planned. I had to keep checking detail in both of my stories to make sure all the little things still added up, despite having planned all this!


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